Discovering the Sea
by GypsyDream
Summary: Sage was the daughter of port Majesty’s proud Commodore. She was expected to be a lady, but she wanted to be free. A story of adventure, of finding your way in the world and of true friend ship and love.
1. Chapter 1

Hello there. It has been a very long time since I've posted anything and it makes me sad. What makes me more sad is when i came on here the other day one of my stories was gone. I have no idea why it isn't up anymore, hmm. Well anyway, this is just a little something I've been playing with in my head. Hopefully i won't get that nasty writer's block anytime soon. I'll try to post as often as possible but just stick with me here, I've got loads to do at school.

Love always, .GD.

P.S. My other story is still up and will be updated soon, just not tomorrow soon.

Enjoy.

* * *

A light breeze blew across the clear blue waters of port Majesty. People were walking here and there. The baker had just finished his first order of the morning and the blacksmith was busy with a few last minute horseshoes before he opened shop for the day.

The sights and sounds of port Majesty were busy and welcoming. Out in the open waters, just off shore, were a few tiny fishing ships gathering the day's catch. In the square there were tidy little carts set up for merchants to sell their findings from all over the world. And just above the town, in a mansion, which looks over the entire cove, stood a girl 17 years of age, watching the port wake to the glorious Caribbean sun from her bedroom balcony. She closed her eyes and sighed happily as a light warm breeze washed over her face. The wind blew her hair back off of her shoulders and then died down, letting her soft burgundy locks drop gracefully down onto her shoulders and back.

A knock from inside her room brought her back from her daydream.

"Sage, are you awake yet?" Came the voice of a young woman.

"Yes, I'm up." The girl, Sage, called back, now standing in front of the door in her lavishly decorated, silk housecoat.

"Your father is outside. He wanted to say goodbye to you before he left to see the Governor, but you must hurry, you know how the Commodore is."

Without another word, Sage ran back to the balcony and almost fell over the rail from the sheer speed she was running.

"There's my princess." A tall lean man with salt and pepper hair called from down on the stone tiled road which led to a main street from their house, a horse drawn carriage stood waiting for him to get in.

"Good morning father." Sage greeted him with a glowing white smile. "Going to see Governor Wrime this morning I see, and without giving me a kiss goodbye?" She pouted dramatically.

"Commodore Edwards, we must be going." The driver interrupted.

"Sorry darling but I must be off, I'm late as it is." Pulling out his pocket watch to emphasize, the Commodore winked at his daughter.

"All right, see you tonight then father." Sage waved quickly and was about to go back inside when she heard her father's demand that she stop. Turning back around, sage walked back to the railing and smiled impishly. "Yes?"

"Please, Sage, promise me that you wont get into any trouble today?" Her father look stressed now, his brows lifted and the few wrinkles he did have seemed a bit more visible.

"I promise father, I wont do anything a proper lady wouldn't do. I'll just stay inside while everyone else is enjoying the warm beautiful sunshine and sew for hours. Then I'll read a book about nothing, and maybe, just maybe I'll have time for tea with the old ladies you insist on me socializing with." She said this all with a sickly sweet smile on her face, though it was obviously she was being sarcastic.

"That's my girl. Oh and don't forget today your piano teacher comes at one and tonight you have writing lessons at four." He gave her an evil smile before stepping up into his carriage and closing the door.

Sage moaned, knowing how boring those lessons were, and how long they felt though they were each only an hour long. But then there was the half hour after each class of practicing alone, and then there were the proper etiquette classes the maid gave her before dinner.

Once inside with the balcony doors closed, Sage let out a loud, frustrated breath.

"Blasted lessons, blasted society demanding a proper lady of me." Sage grimaced at what she saw when she looking around her room. The walls were covered in an off white wallpaper with tiny intricately painted red roses all over it. The bed on the far side from her was plump with a stuffed feather mattress and covered in white linens from Egypt, accented in frilly pink lace. The worst of it was the vanity right across from her, chalk full of Europe's finest 'maquillage'. She didn't even like wearing makeup, but every high-class woman was these days, so her father thought it would do her good to try some out herself.

Turning away from the frills and lace of her sleeping quarters, Sage walked to her sitting room and opened a trunk hidden in the back of her linen closet. Inside the trunk was an old pair of her brother's riding trouser's from when he was a boy and a white linen shirt she borrowed from her friend, Thomas, and forgot to give back. Running back to the other room, Sage ran behind her changing screen and quickly washed her face with a warm damp cloth. She then changed into the shirt and pants the pulled her hair up into a tail and tied it up with a leather cord.

Once she was dressed and ready she ran downstairs, quickly running through the kitchens to grab a slice of bread and an apple, then out through the kitchen doors to the back of the house where the stables were. Sage tried to stay out of sight from the stale master and the stable boys but they always seemed to know she was there.

"Out for another adventure this morning missy?" John, the old stable master in charge of the Edwards' horses, said without looking up from his task of sweeping.

"Yes, but please don't let my father know. I promise to be back before he gets home." Sage smiled charmingly, wining a grin from the old man.

"Your secret is safe with me miss." John gave her a smile of few teeth.

"You're the best John." Sage hugged the man before running off to the end of the stables to an empty stall where she hid her older brother's old practice sword and dagger beneath the straw.

She was just strapping the weapons on when a hand came over her mouth roughly and pulled her back against something solid.

"What are you going to do now miss Edwards? Fight or scream for help like the little princess you are." A cold voice whispered harshly in her ear.

Without even thinking much on the matter, Sage kicked her right leg back into her assailant's right shin and had his left hand behind his back while he knelt on the ground in defeat.

"All right, all right I give up. Let me up!" He yelped as she gave one last satisfied tug on his twisted arm.

"What was that you were calling me again, a princess?" Sage smirk as the boy stood and rubbed his sore arm.

"It was just a bit of fun, you didn't have to hurt my arm like that." He pouted while still rubbing his left arm.

"Don't be such a baby Thomas. I didn't pull that hard on it after all." Sage smiled at her friend, and his weak attempt for pity. Standing before her was a boy with curly dirt-blond hair and green eyes. His face was sprinkled with freckles giving him a childish appearance, which he hated very much. He wasn't very tall for his age, nor was he too short. He was a fit boy, although his muscles had much room for improvement, as did his skill with a sword. Thomas Drake was a fine boy and a good son, and a very good friend of Sage Edwards.

Thomas looked up into his friend's eyes and smiled back before pulling her into a bear hug.

"A week is much too long without seeing your fair face, Sage." Thomas smiled sheepishly at his friend.

"I've missed our little outings too Tom. I've been trapped in my house like a prisoner, forced to study proper etiquette and how to write and read and all that boring rubbish. It was a nightmare." Sage went on completely oblivious to her friend's eye rolling and fake yawning as he checked his pretend pocket watch for the time.

"Well that's all very interesting but I'd really like to get going, you know, before the sun sets maybe?" Tom grind while ducking away from a hand full of hay that flew towards him.

"All right, we'll go, let me just find my hat." Sage rummaged through the pile of hay again until she found her father's old leather three-corner hat. She tucked her hair up so that it was completely concealed under her cap, and made sure her sword was fastened to her waist before she gave the OK for them to exit through a loose board on the back wall of the stables.

Sage and Tom walked to the edge of the Edwards property where tropical forest met nicely groomed grass, then proceeded into the forest without a backwards glance at the port behind them.

"So tell me again, how much did you have to pay Mr. Barkley back for that broken vase?" Tom asked over his shoulder as he hacked away at wild growth in their path.

"About two crowns and a half dozen shillings. I had never seen my father so angry." Sage kept her focus on the forest floor as she dragged her sword behind her.

They were twenty minutes into the wild trees before they stopped for a short break.

"I don't think I've ever cut back so many vines in my life, I think we took the wrong path." Tom sat on a semi flat rock beneath a banana tree, fanning himself with his old felt hat.

"I think we might have taken the wrong path too. Usually there's a cave near here. We must have gone too far east." Sage sat beside him and pulled off her coat and hat to let the soft breeze air her out.

"Want to turn back then?" Tom asked.

"Thomas, how long have we been friends?" Sage asked sternly.

"Forever, I think." Tom made a mock thinking face, resting his index finger on his chin.

"Then what do you think the answer will be?" Sage asked with a smirk.

"On we go then?" Tom sighed as he held out a hang to help his friend up.

"Lead the way my brush cutting friend." Sage smiled.

"Can't you be in charge of cutting away the brush for a while?" Tom complained.

"Fine, step back so I can get ahead then." Sage made to move past him but wound up tripping on a root and falling into his arms.

"Careful, you don't want to fall and break something now." Tom joked as he caught her.

"I would never break anything." Sage announced with her nose in the air.

"Save for Mr. Barkley's vase." Tom said quietly behind her back. Not quiet enough however, as Sage heard it she picked up a soft rotting log and threw it at Tom's head, hitting her target smack on.

"Come on Tom, we don't have time to play in the mud." Sage laughed as she left her friend sitting in a pile of soggy dirt, picking chunks of log-rot from his already messy hair.

A good half hour later, Sage and Tom stopped at a familiar sound.

"Do you hear that?" Sage asked with a wide grin on her face, holding up her left hand to halt Tom in his tracks.

"Sounds like gulls to me." Tom said with half interest.

"And where do gulls usually like to be, my dear friend." Sage asked eagerly.

"Near the ocean, more or less, why?" Tom asked, now a little confused.

Sage turned to face Tom with both hands on her hips and a face that clearly said 'you're an idiot'.

"Come on." She brought Tom's cutting machete up and hacked away at a few vine plants before the marvelous view of an untouched shore shone through before them.

"Wow." Tom whispered softly.

"It's beautiful. Not even port Majesty compares to this." Sage walked forward onto a short cliff of twenty feet. "It looks like no one has even been here. I wonder how we haven't ever found it before." Sage began to walk closer to the edge to find a way down onto the beach.

"Well I don't think we've ever been this far. Sage, where are you going?" Tom asked as Sage sat on the edge and began to lower herself onto the rocks below.

"I'm going down for a closer look." Sage winked at Tom before disappearing below the cliff's edge.

Tom, being terrified of heights, was a little less hasty to go down to the lovely white sands below.

"Come on Tom, it's wonderful down here." Sage called from where the clear blue water met the white sand, her boots had already been removed as her feet marveled at the feel of the cool water.

"I can see it fine from up here." Tom waved sheepishly from farther back on the cliff, not even daring to go to the edge.

"Don't be such a baby, the water is amazing." Sage cupped her hands and threw water up into the air for emphasis.

"I am not a baby." Tom called down, sounding much like a small child might. "Fine, I'll come down, but I'm blaming you if I break my neck." He walked slowly to the edge with a terrified expression on his face.

Meanwhile, down on the beach, Sage giggled while shaking her head in disbelief at her friend's incredible fear of heights.

Finally Tom made it to the bottom, a little sweaty and shaking, but still in one piece.

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Sage asked, taking her friend's hand.

"Speak for yourself, I almost died coming down here." Tom let Sage lead him to the water.

"Just put your feet in the water, it will calm you down." Sage plunked down on the sand at the water's edge and stretched her legs out until her feet were submerged in the crystal blue sea. Tom pulled off his boots and did the same.

"That is nice." He sighed happily, his muscles finally relaxing a bit as he fell back into a lazy sleeping position. "I could stay here all day." He reached up and pulled Sage down, earning a small squeal from her as she fell back beside him.

"What shall we name this beach which we have claimed as our own?" Sage asked in an official voice, resembling that of the governor's voice.

"Hmm, I'm not sure." Tom scratched his chin in deep thought. "How about port Brave." He smiled at his crafty name.

"Why Brave?" Sage asked looking into Tom's happy face.

"Because no matter how tough a man you are, you would have to be mighty brave to climb down that cliff to this blasted beach." Tom and Sage shared a laugh for a couple minutes before getting up and discovering the rest of the beach.

Further along the shore they found a few wood boards, which appeared to be from an old ship wreck. Even further down they came upon a small opening to a cave, which was currently three quarters covered in water from the high tide. Other then that the beach was completely empty and free for the taking.

"We should get going, I need to be back before my father comes home." Sage said looking at the position of the sun in the sky.

"All right, after you." Tom gestured to the cliff.

"Why don't we just go around in through the forest?" Sage pointed to a small wild path, which visibly went up the cliff in the safest of ways.

"When did you find that?" Tom asked happily, glad to not have to go up the rocks again.

"About three minutes before you climbed down here." Sage laughed before running away from Tom's angry hysterics.

The walk home took almost double the time it had taken them to reach their new discovery. Tom had lost them at a fork in their newly cut path, which cost them more, then twenty minutes of circles and angry complaints from Sage.

Finally, three hours after they left the beach, now known as port Brave, they reached the Edwards' property.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Tom asked as he walked slowly away to the gate at the side of the mansion.

"Yes, I'll meet you at the beach, you remember the way don't you?" Sage asked as she removed her hat and let loose her hair.

"I'm sure I do." Tom looked sceptically at the ground.

"See you tomorrow then." Sage waved him off as he disappeared through the gate.

Back in her house, Sage ran quickly upstairs to clean and change for her father's arrival. With the help of one of her many serving maids, Sage was washed of any dirt and powdered down then covered in a light green, silk dinner dress.

"Do I look as though I've been out of town at all? Be honest Marie." Sage asked as she turned for the maid, who also happened to be a close friend and confidant to Sage.

The older woman inspected her fine job of cleaning the girl up and nodded in approval.

"You look as though you've been inside all day pampered and studying hard." Marie smiled.

"Good. If my father found out I had left the port again, he'd kill me." Sage turned back to the mirror to fuss with her up-do some more.

"Sage, why must you always go against your father's will? He only wants the best for you." Marie swatted Sage's hands away to fix the strand of hair that had fallen out.

"He just doesn't understand how hard it is to be kept locked up in this big old house just so my brain can be stuffed with useless information while my heart yearns for the open air and adventure the great outdoors have to offer." Sage slumped down onto her vanity stool as Marie fussed with ornamental flowers in Sage's hair.

"Well a proper lady needs to know how to read and right, and that is what your father wants of you, for you to be a proper lady. There aren't many men out there who are looking for a girl in boys clothing, romping around in a wild jungle." Marie stood back to see the final affect of her work and was quite pleased.

"Well then I'll just have to settle for a boy who loves a girl in boys clothing who romps around in wild jungles." Sage crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Don't you like your dresses?" Marie asked, admiring Sage's beauty.

"They're fine, but I can't do anything wearing this god-awful corset, and these skirts get so heavy." Sage pushed on her corset adjusting it to make it more comfortable.

"Well you look lovely, and you won't ever hear that from a boy if you're wearing these dirty britches and putting your hair away in this awful hat." Marie's face twisted in disgust as she picked up the dirty clothes and put them away in the trunk in the other room.

"Thank you Marie." Sage called after her as the maid left through the door, closing it behind her.

"Be down in ten minutes, your father should be home then." Marie called through the door before walking to the stairs and descending to help the rest of the staff with the dinner preparations.

Sage looked at herself in the mirror and sighed before standing and making her way to her sitting room to read until her father arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

I know there are probably a few spelling errors in this chapter as there were in the first. I'm working on it and I'm trying to buy a word document which has a good spell check.

Any way, enjoy and tell me what you think.

* * *

A 'knock' at the door had Sage waking from her half slumber as she attempted to read. 

"Who's there?" She called.

"Miss, your father has returned." A mousy voice called from the other side of the door.

"I'll be right down." She called as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress while walking to the door.

Downstairs the commodore stood at the base of the stairs waiting for his daughter to descend.

"There's my princess." He beamed at the vision of pure beauty walking down the steps gracefully.

"Good evening father, I hope your day went well." Sage hugged her father when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"It was well enough. Fredrick has it in his mind to throw a party for the troops return." He beamed again, excited for the return of his personally trained navel troops, including his own son.

"James, James is returning?" Sage jumped excitedly.

"Aye, in a few hours, your brother will once again be home." The commodore smiled warmly.

"Oh, father this is so exciting. So when is the party?" She asked, taking her father's arm in hers as she directed him to the dinning room.

"It will be held at the governor's home tomorrow evening. You will be seeing your brother before the party, then again as he receives a special award from the governor." The commodore's smile grew twice the size with pride.

"An award, my how James has proven himself in the East." Sage added to her father's smile with more compliments on her brother's success. "Wait, father you say the party is tomorrow?" Sage stopped in mid step as she made her way to her seat.

"Yes, tomorrow evening, we are to be at Fredrick's house to welcome the troops back to port Majesty. You should see the governor, I've never seen Fredrick so excited to throw a party before." The commodore began to eat the delicious meal that was place before him.

"Tomorrow." Sage whispered. She stared at her food subconsciously as she thought about the plans she had made with Tom. She shrugged and decided she would just have to send him a note explaining that their plans would have to be postponed until her brother had settled in and everything was well again.

"Well, aren't you going to eat any of your meal? I'm sure all of that hard studying has given you a big appetite." The commodore couldn't seem to stop smiling. In his chest his heart was swelling with love and pride for his two greatest achievements, his son and his daughter were making it in the world and making him the happiest father in the world as well.

"Actually I'm not too hungry, I'm afraid I may have ruined my appetite with a late lunch. All that reading and writing is taking up much of my time." Sage smiled at her father before taking a small bite of her chicken.

"Well, tomorrow you may have the day off to get ready for the party then. I hear the girls in town dress their finest for these sort of things so I took the liberty of buying you a new dress just for tomorrow night." The commodore winked at his daughter before returning his attention to his steak.

"Oh, you didn't have to, I'm sure I have something suitable in my wardrobe to wear." Sage hated when her father tried to be the mother and buy her pretty things, it always made her feel spoiled.

"None sense, my little girl is going to be the star of the evening. By the way, I hear the governor's son will be there too." He added slyly.

"Father, I have no interest in the governor's son." Sage spoke dryly.

"You sure could have fouled me a few years back." He smiled

"I was five and he was seven. It was a silly little child's crush, and it was all him, I had no interest in him back then either." Although Sage spoke seriously, she couldn't help smiling at the memories. "It was fun when we were children and had no responsibilities, but when we grew older, he changed. I don't know him anymore, and I don't want to know him either. He's too full of himself, father." Sage looked into her father's eyes before continuing. "He was a good friend father, and I know he and James are still close, but don't expect me to fall into his arms like all the other girls on this island do when I see him.

"Come now Sage, he hasn't changed all that much. He's still the boy you knew when you were younger, he's only matured and he takes his responsibilities seriously, which you would do well to follow in his footsteps." Sage only snorted, staring dryly into her father's eyes. "Any way, you are to be presenting him and your brother both with the medals of port Majesty's highest respect, just to let you know."

"Oh great." Sage poked her fork into her now cold chicken and left it there. "I think I'm going to go to sleep, I'm feeling rather tired." She faked a yawn and got up to kiss her father good night before scurrying off to bed.

Back in the dinning room, the commodore picked up his glass of wine and studied it long and hard.

"I hope I've done the right thing." Drinking the glass down in one gulp, the commodore rose and went off to his study to read a few reports before he too went to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

This one is a bit longer, I hope you enjoy it.

P.S. I really enjoy all your reviews. Thank you for reading and reviewing my story.

* * *

The sun was just rising, as were the town's folk of port Majesty. Up on the cliffs, in the governor's house, everyone was already up and about, adding last minute arrangements of flower's here and there, and cleaning anything with even a speck of dust on it. The chef had already finished most of the finger foods which would be past around before dinner and was now working hard on preparing the main course with a dozen other chefs from town. The governor was in his study making sure all the medals and awards were in place and safe until it came time to present them. The lady Wrime was out in the gardens, enjoying a last minute moment of peace before her home was crowded with noise and celebration. 

The governor, Fredrick Wrime, and his wife, Bella Wrime, were one of the happiest people in port Majesty. Today their son, along with many other fine young men, would be returning safely home from a long training campaign in the East.

Although it was just a simple training campaign and everyone thought there would be no injury, nor any danger, the open seas between the West and the East are dangerous to all and not even port Majesty's finest troops can detour those dangers. On their way back from Spain their fleet of three large ships was attacked by one very dangerous pirate ship. In the end they lost none, all thanks to the governor's son Dominick Wrime and the commodore's son James Edwards. If it hadn't been for their skill in strategy and quick thinking, they might have lost many in their journey home. That is why today they would be receiving awards of excellence and respect.

"Bruce, have you seen my husband?" A tall elegant woman with sandy blond hair and lovely blue eyes asked a man dressed in a butler's uniform.

"Yes my lady, he has been shut away in his study all day." The butler gave her a short bow before continuing on his way to the kitchens. Shaking her head with a small grin on her face, Bella walked through the hall to her husband's office.

Bella walked as though she were floating on a cloud. Many of the women in port Majesty looked up to her in admiration, others looked up at her in envy, and the rest looked up to her in jealousy. She was the image of pure grace and discipline. She had a sweet disposition and was very loving to her family and friends.

She and the governor were set to be married when they were only fifteen years old and living in England. Once they found out this news they both hated each other instantly. It was only after they had actually spoken a single word to each other that they had fallen madly in love with each other. It was love at first word for them, and they had produced a strong and equally loving son from their love.

They were both thought highly of in the royal court back in England, and a couple times they had been called back to rejoin the court, but their hearts were here in the Caribbean with the people and place they called home.

Knocking lightly, Bella opened the door a crack to see if all was well before entering.

"Darling, are you all right? You haven't stepped foot out of this office all morning." She spoke soothingly.

"I'm just making sure everything is in order." Governor Wrime was behind his desk, writing something on a stack of parchment.

"Fredrick, I'm sure what ever it is, it can wait until tomorrow. You need to relax, our son is coming home today." She walked behind her husband's low back seat and put her arms around his shoulder's kissing the top of his head before resting her cheek there.

"I know, I work too much, I'm just so glad he's finally coming home. It's been so hard these past ten months without him." The governor sighed heavily before standing.

When standing upright the governor was only an inch taller then his wife, with a slightly rounding stomach and a round, cheerful face. He was a warm, happy man, and a great leader for his people. The king of England knew what he was doing when he appointed Fredrick Wrime as governor of port Majesty.

"Come, let's have an early lunch in the gardens before we get ready for the party." Bella took her husband's hands and started leading him to the door.

"All right, but only a small lunch, I have other paper's to finish signing." The governor stopped at the deadly look he rarely saw in his wife's eyes. "Sorry, I promise not to touch a single paper or document for the rest of the night." Putting his hands up in surrender, the governor smiled once more when his wife laughed lightly before kissing his cheek.

"You silly man, you are going to work yourself the death if you aren't careful." Bella took him to a tree in the far right of the garden's where they had shared many private meals together when they were younger and just discovering this new land. It was their safe heaven from the world of upholding honor and responsibility, and it was their freedom for the few minutes they could spare. No other place made them happier.

Looking into each other's eyes, the governor and his wife shared a brief kiss before starting on their delicious lunch. The day was far from over and they could do with any bit of privacy and calm before the storm of guests arrived.

Back in the commodore's home was another story all together. Sage, was up in her room being prepared for the party and had been in her room being prepared for a good part of two hours.

The commodore was writing out the last of his paper work and was ready to go up to his room and get changed as well.

His hands were shaking slightly when he filed away his work. The nerves running through him were intense and kept him jumping all morning. His ears were set to listening for a knock at the door for his son's arrival.

He had almost killed the delivery boy who had brought the morning bread, and then he realized the boy was only doing his job and not playing a cruel joke of pretending to be his son.

Ten months of being separated from your only son was hard on a father, not even a strong man like the commodore could hide that fact.

"Father, are you going to go get ready?" Sage walked in on her father staring out at the front gate of their home.

"Yes, in a minute princess." The commodore turned slowly from the window and lost his breath. "Oh, Sage, you look beautiful." He smiled proudly at his daughter's appearance.

Standing before him was not a little girl who studied rarely and played out in the jungle with her friend, but a young woman standing gracefully in a dress fit for the queen of England.

Sage stood smiling with her hands folded in front of her like a proper lady might stand while being inspected by her etiquette teacher. It was hard to stand so, however, because she rarely made it to any of her etiquette lessons and wasn't very familiar with this stance.

She had to admit even though she didn't really like dresses, this one had to be her favorite out of all the ones she owned. It was made of silk from China, Egyptian cotton and lace from Italy. The fabric was canary gold with tiny faint pink roses sewn on made of silk. There was cream colored lace on the trim at her chest and on the trim at the base of the sleeves, which cut just before her elbows. It was cut snugly, so that her corset was tightened only a bit tighter then usual, but it flowed out beautifully from her waist to the floor to give her a slight hint of a train in the back. She held a cream colored lace fan and wore her hair down and curly in the back with her front hair pulled back into a small bun at the back of her head.

"I don't know what I'm doing in something so fit for royalty." She giggled before turning to show off.

"I knew the instant I saw it, it was made for my princess." The commodore hugged his daughter close. "He's really coming home today."

Sage knew when her father was having a weak moment and knew how to handle him.

"Yes, father, and he is coming home because you have taught him well, if it wasn't for you, we might not be having this party. Because of you father, they are all coming home safely." Sage pulled back and smiled reassuringly into her father's face.

Ever since their mother had died of a terrible drowning incident when Sage was three, the commodore had become a bit softer when it came to dealing with family safety. He couldn't bare the thought of something happening to any one else he loved.

"How many times are you going to keep me from crying like a complete idiot, Sage?" The commodore pinched her cheek softly.

"Until you learn to keep it in old man." Sage laughed. "Now go get dressed, John is almost done preparing the carriage." Sage pushed her father to the stairs.

Just as she was about to settle in a chair in the parlor to read while her father got ready, the door in the foyer opened and closed very silently.

Furrowing her brow, Sage got up and replaced her book before walking out into the front hall.

"John, is that you?" Sage called, but no one returned. "John?" She walked all the way into the front hall and look up the stairs then down the hall on the opposite side of the stairs.

"My, how you have grown into a woman in only ten months." A deep rugged voice called behind her.

The hairs on the back of Sage's neck stood on end as her heart began to pump a million miles an hour. Her knees felt week and her breath caught in her throat every time she tried to breath.

Turning slowly, Sage got her first glance at a man with curly golden blond hair, clear blue eyes to match her own and a tan face from sailing the seas. His shoulders seemed broader and even though he wore a uniform jacket and slacks, you could tell his muscles had grown to accent an already lean body.

"James?" Sage's lower lip quivered before she regained control and set it in a straight line below her upper lip.

With his jaw set and tense, James nodded slowly before giving his little sister one of his prize wining smiles.

"James!" Sage forgot all sense of propriety and ran as fast as her healed shoes would allow her into her brother's open arms.

"You smell like roses, Sage, roses and the fresh forest rain, just like mum used to smell." James kissed each of his sister's cheeks then gave her another tight squeeze.

"Don't ever go away again, do you hear me James?" Sage sobbed into her brother's shoulder.

"Not for a long while, sister." James closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of being home, in the arms of one of his very loved ones.

They stood there for a while; just enjoying the other's embrace, and that is how the commodore saw them when he descended the stairs. He stood for a moment, on the landing before going down the rest of the steps; just so he could watch his children rediscover each other again. It made him proud to think he was able to raise such fine outstanding people on his own. It also brought a pain to his heart that his beloved wife could not be here to see what they had created together.

The commodore shook off the thought and made his way the rest of the way down to greet his son.

"And who is this strapping young lad holding my daughter in his arms?" He spoke clearly with a smile on his face.

"You haven't changed one bit father." James turned from his sister and stared seriously into his father's deep blue eyes. "And I'm glad for it." He embraced his father tightly with a hug that could crush a grown man's ribs, but the commodore didn't mind.

"And you've changed too much." The commodore looked over his shoulder to Sage and smiled lovingly. "It's good to have you home, son." He took his boy's shoulders and held him out at arms length to inspect the damage. "My, how you look like me when I was that age." He spoke proudly.

"Oh, God, does that mean I'll look like you when I'm your age?" James feigned fear and laughed when his father's face fell. "I'm only joking father, any man would be proud to be just like you, even me." He smiled and shook his father's hand before picking up his duffel bag. "Now I have some gifts for you two, but I'm afraid yours will have to wait until tomorrow father, once my ship is fully unloaded." James patted his father's shoulder. "As for you, Sage, I hope you like it, I know you're not very into girl-y things, or at least you weren't when I left." James smiled at his sister as he handed her a purple box.

"You didn't have to get me anything James. I'm just glad you're home, safe." Sage looked down at the box, letting curiosity win, she opened it.

"I found it in a little shop in Spain, I hope it suits you." James winked at her.

Sage pushed away all the golden tissue paper to see a purple velvet pillow at the bottom of the box. Sitting on the pillow was a small white pearl on a delicate silver chain.

"Oh, James, it's beautiful." Sage removed it from the box to get a closer look.

"See there, in the pearl, there's a small diamond." He pointed out to the small sparkle in the pearl.

"How unique." Sage stared in wonder. "How did they do that?" She asked completely amazed.

"Legend says that that very diamond belonged to one of the most feared pirates in all of the seven seas. As legend goes, the Spanish armada finally killed him and his crew one hundred years ago; his ship sits at the bottom of the sea just off the shores of Spain. That diamond was one of the few possessions he held with him even after he was dead, and in his watery grave along with his ship. After the sharks had done away with his body, all that remained was that diamond. It found it's way into the sand where an oyster, the biggest one you will ever have seen, ate it, and after years and years, it formed that pearl around it." James smiled at his sister as she inspected the necklace closely.

"That can't be true." Sage looked up at her brother, disbelievingly.

"Well, it is just a legend. It might be true and it might not be." James shrugged.

At this time, John came through the front door, removing his old straw hat as he addressed the commodore.

"Sir, your carriage awaits." He bowed lowly before going back outside.

"Well, that was a pleasant tale, James, but we must be going now. Just leave your bags there, Marie will take them up to your room." The commodore grabbed his black cloaked and carried it with him to the carriage.

"I'm glad your stories are still as thrilling as they were when you left, James." Sage commented as she too grabbed her evening cloak and carried it out to the carriage.

"Oh, it's good to be home." James stretched his arms out before leaving the house and getting into the carriage with his sister and father for the first time since he left for Spain.


	4. Chapter 4

A bit longer this time. I loved this chapter, you meet the governor's son.

Enjoy and have fun.

* * *

The carriage pulled up in front of a huge manor built on the side of a cliff. There were three floors of windows, all of which were already lit and glowing, welcoming anyone who walked by. On the ocean side of the house there was a large balcony on the second floor looking over the water. It was a breath taking sight to watch the sunset over the water, and even more breath taking to watch the sun hit this house while it was setting. The face of the house, along with all the other three outer walls was set in white and grey stones. It was the only thing for miles that resembled a palace, and it belonged to the governor of port Majesty. 

Sage, along with her father and brother, were the first guests to arrive to the party. They had to be early to receive instructions on how the ceremony would play out.

The commodore told one of the governor's many servants to go and fetch the man of the house, then lead his children to the family parlor to await the governor.

"Two visits in one week, my, you're smothering me Garret." There in the doorway stood governor Fredrick Wrime, in his best uniform, behind him stood his wife in a stunning violet gown fit to break hearts.

"Fredrick, my good friend, the only thing smothering you is that ridiculous frilled collar." Commodore Edwards walked towards his long time friend and fluffed his collar for emphasis.

"How, now, I hear it's quite fashionable in England to be wearing frill down the front of your formal jacket." He smoothed the frilly lace down and gave the commodore an arrogant look.

"Only you would believe that." Garret laughed at his friend's reddening face before regaining his composure. "How is your boy doing Fredrick?" The commodore asked.

"Quite fine. He's already had two visits from some of the girls in town." Fredrick winked while nudging Garret in the ribs. "They brought him flowers and silly notes and the sort to welcome him home."

"Young love, will it ever change?" Garret shook his head before turning his attention to the lady of the house. "And how are you this evening, Bell?" He took her hand and gave it a short peck.

"Quite fine, thank you." She smiled warmly and gave him a friendly hug. "And how are you James?" Bella's face warmed even more at the sight of the handsome Edwards boy.

"Fine, thank you ma'am." James accepted the familiar hug she gave him, remembering all the times she was there when he'd needed his mother.

"And, my lord, is that Sage?" Bella went to inspect the youngest and most beautiful Edwards. "You look absolutely ravishing. Darling you must tell me how you do it." Bella wrapped an arm around Sage's shoulder and held her close.

" It's good to see you Bella." Sage smiled happily. She had known Bella since she was a baby. Bella and her mother were dear friends, almost inseparable at times, and Sage spent most of her time with the two ladies growing up.

"If you three don't mind, I'm going to steal this one for a little girl to girl talk." Bella took Sage's hand and led her to the other room where they could catch up on a little gossip before anyone arrived.

"Garret, your daughter has grown to be quite a lady." Fredrick commented as the three men took seats by the fire with full glasses of brandy.

"She has been a handful to teach, so I've heard, but I can see it has paid off tremendously." Garret looked into his glass as he circled the liquid around and around.

"My son is going to be the luckiest man in the Caribbean." Fredrick smiled before taking a large sip.

"What do you mean, Sir?" James asked, putting his glass to the side.

"Hasn't your father told you the news?" Fredrick looked surprised.

James shook his head.

"Why, we've arranged for my Dominick and your sister to be married next spring." The governor looked quite pleased with himself, as did the commodore.

Now it was James' turn to look surprised.

"Married? Sage and Dominick, married?" He looked to his father for confirmation and received a nod. "Does Sage know?"

"Not quite yet. Fredrick and I have decided to let Dominick tell her." Garret looked excited and a bit hesitant at the same time.

"You know she'll never agree to this. The poor kid has no idea what he's in for." James laughed to himself.

"What do you mean she'll never agree?" Fredrick questioned.

"For one, Sage has barely liked Dominick since they were young children." James smiled remembering. "I for one have no problem with Dom, he's my best mate after all, but Sage, that's a completely different story all together." James picked up his glass and took a sip before putting it back down.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out." Garret put his glass down as well and rubbed his hands together. "Let's not think about it until later, we have a party to have, after all."

"Right, the party, let's go and wait in the ballroom for the guests to arrive." Governor Wrime stood and lead the way to the ballroom, hoping everything went well this evening.

By four o'clock guests were finally arriving. Their coats and cloaks were taken at the door and put away while they were led to the ballroom where there was dancing and conversation.

In the ballroom, the governor and his wife were already surrounded by a group of guests, talking about politics and the economy. Off to the left of them stood their son, Dominick Wrime, completely surrounded by girls. Dominick was a very attractive young man. He had his father's dark raven hair, which fell into his face most often, giving him a mysterious look, and his mother's crystal blue eyes, which hypnotized many. His facial bone structure gave him the look of an aristocrat, which made his father proud, and his lips were full and almost always set in a wry grin, which made the girls swoon.

Dominick loved the attention he got from the island's female population, but there was always one who never seemed to care much for him. Stealing himself away from the ladies for a second, Dominick went to his father's right side.

"Father, have the Edwards arrived?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"Garret and James are over by the head table talking to the port soldiers, but Sage isn't with them I'm afraid." The governor answered, reading his son like a book.

"Thank you, sir." He nodded to his father before starting his search for his best mate's sister.

Meanwhile, out in the hall, Sage was pacing. She had been there since the arrival of the first guest. Her nerves could get the better of her if she allowed them too, and right now she was letting them win. There were so many people in there to impress; it almost made her regret skipping her lessons regularly. Focusing on making her father happy, Sage shook off any fear and walked to the ballroom doors.

Back down in the ballroom, Dominick was just about to climb the stairs to exit the room to look through the rest of the house for the girl, that was, until he saw her.

Sage stopped for an instant as many heads turned to look at her as she stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the ballroom floor.

Swallowing hard, Sage began to descend.

"Pretty, isn't she?" James came up behind his best friend.

"She's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." Dominick couldn't take his eyes away from her, not even for a second.

"If our father's have their way, you better be careful. You may be my friend, but if you hurt her, you will pay dearly." James spoke calmly and with a smile on his face, but Dominick knew he meant business

"I would never think of hurting such a creature so pure and beautiful." Dominick turned to James. "I'd rather die then see her hurt."

"Good, then put a smile on your face, here she comes, lover boy." James nudged Dominick forward before leaving to tend to the group of girls Dominick had abandoned earlier.

Sage allowed herself to exhale when she was finally on the ballroom floor. She sighed when she saw people were still looking at her. Deciding it best to go find her father, Sage turned from the crowd by the dance floor and ran right into the one person she didn't want to see.

"Careful, you might hurt someone." Dominick laughed, still holding her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Mr. Wrime, I'll be more careful next time." Sage barely looked at him, only meeting his eyes for an instant to glare into them.

"It's no problem, and please call me Dominick." He gave her his knee weakening grin and was intrigued to see her frowning instead of drooling all over him.

"If you'll excuse me, Dominick, I must find my father." Sage shrugged his hands off of her shoulders and walked away briskly, her skirts trailing behind her.

Dominick let out a low whistle before going off to join James and the fan club they had accumulated.

The night progressed without a single flaw. The dancing and drinks were constant and the food was prepared to perfection. The night couldn't have gone any better.

Sage was even having a good time. She danced with her father and her brother, even the governor a time or two, and best of all, Dominick had steered clear of her almost the entire evening. It was coming time to give out the awards, however, and that meant she had to be close to him again.

The lady of the house went onto the stage and hushed the band before speaking.

"Lords and ladies, gentlemen and gentlewomen, it is now time for the awards to be presented." She smiled as the crowd began to clap excitedly. "If I could get the governor up on stage, along with commodore Edwards and the lovely lady, Sage Edwards."

The crowd gave another cheer as the three made their way to the stage along with the boys who this party had been thrown for.

Standing on stage were twenty-five young men all standing proud before the audience.

Governor Wrime took center stage to continue where his wife left off.

"Standing before you are twenty-five of the most brave men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." Fredrick gestured to the boys. "Each one has proven his worth countless times, but there were two who made sure our boys made it home safely and soundly." He looked at his son with a large smile. "Tonight our two hero's will be receiving awards for their courage and bravery and the thanks of this port's governor, for making sure our boys came home in one piece." Fredrick gestured for Sage to join him in front of James and Dominick.

"Thank you James, without you, these boys may never have seen their families ever again." James bowed before his governor and accepted the medal Sage pined to his coat front.

"Thank you sir. It is an honor to fight for your land and our country." James shook Fredrick's hand before stepping back in line with the other boys.

Moving down the line, the governor and Sage stopped in front of Dominick.

"My boy, you have made me the proudest father on this island. There is great courage running through you. You will make a fine soldier, and one day a fine husband." The governor winked at his son and was reward with a low laugh.

"Father, you make things so obvious." Dominick shook his father's hand before giving his attention to Sage as she attempted to pin his medal to his coat front. "Here, let me help you." Dominick put his hands over hers and took the pin from her, attaching it himself.

Sage let her hands drop at her side and just stood there, emotionless.

"A toast, to the hero's of port Majesty!" An audience member yelled.

Everyone cheer and drank deep from their champaign glasses for the two brave boys.

Another, more rowdy crowd member, suggested the governor's son kiss the awards girl.

"Go on, kiss her." A couple others joined in.

Sage stared, completely dumbfounded. Before she knew it, Dominick had grabbed her from behind the neck and pulled her into a long, passionate kiss.

Many of the girls in the audience gasped in shock, others began to cry. The rest of the people clapped happily, enjoying the sight of young love. The commodore met the governor's eyes and shared a smile with him.

Sage finally found her strength and pushed Dominick away as hard as she could. She gave him a look that nearly broke his heart. Her eyes were half watering and set in a pained look. She excused herself from the stage and ran straight to the stairs and out the doors before Dominick could even get himself off the stage.

"What was that about?" James turned Dominick to face him.

"It was just a little kiss." Dominick explained.

"It didn't look like just a little kiss to me." James glared at his friend. "You better go find her and make this right." Crossing his arms across his chest, James stood in a stance that could mirror his father.

Dominick nodded before turning and leaving quickly.

James sighed and went back to the stage to have a word with his father and the governor.


	5. Chapter 5

Another chapter, more drama.

* * *

After searching high and low, Dominick finally found Sage, standing alone, out on the balcony. He walked deliberately slow, giving her some space before making his presence known.

"Sage?" He called softly.

"Please, just go away." With her back still facing him, Sage rubbed at a stray tear that fell from her eye.

"Please, just give me a chance to apologize." Dominick pleaded with all the dignity he still had.

"I don't care for your apologies, nor for your words, now leave me alone." Sage walked farther away from him until she was at the smooth stone barrier that crowned the edge of the balcony.

Sighing deeply, Dominick walked towards her. He didn't care if it took all night, she would accept his apology.

"Sage, if I had known this was going to upset you so much, I never would have…" Trailing off he replayed what had happened in his mind and found he couldn't quite understand what was so upsetting about it.

"What, you would never have stolen my first kiss?" Sage finally turned to face him with fire in her eyes.

"Is that what your crying about, me being your first kiss?" Dominick chuckled lightly.

"I know it means absolutely nothing to you, but it meant something to me." Sage turned away again to look out at the sea. God, how she wished she could just hop on the next outward-bound ship and sail away to a land undiscovered. "I hate that you can be so casual about something like that. I wanted my first kiss to be with someone special, someone I truly loved."

"I'm sorry, I had no idea it meant so much to you." Dominick walked closer to her.

"You're not sorry. I know how you are, who you've become." Sage glared at him.

"You don't know anything about me." Dominick challenged.

"Don't I? I know you used to be the kindest person I've ever known, then one day you grew up, and you thought you were better then everyone else." Sage turned back once more to stare out at the frothy waves below.

"Sage, I never thought I was better then anyone else." Dominick rubbed a tense spot on the back of his neck. "I just had to grow up quicker according to my father, just like you had to, just like James did, we have responsibilities to look after." He stared at her while leaning against the stone railing. "Only you never really did grow up did you, you're still the little adventurer you were when we were kids." Smiling now, he reached out and touched her hand.

Sage backed away from him, needing the space to calm herself.

"Are you mocking me?" She rubbed her upper arms, feeling the cool wind penetrating the fabric of her dress.

"Not at all. Admiring you is all. You were the only one brave enough to defy the part you were meant to play. You still pull off the whole proper lady roll, but I know your heart is out in the unknown, where it feels good to be bad, and defiant." He smiled at her, watching her squirm under his intense stare.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Sage frowned, unhappy that he was able to read her so well.

"Oh, and you know me, inside and out." He grinned, stepping closer to her. "You're not the only one with the power of observation, miss Edwards."

He was getting too close. Sage felt trapped. He knew too much about her, he understood her too well for comfort. She didn't want him to know who she really was, she didn't even know who she really was yet. She needed space, and solitude.

"I want to go home." Sage stated abruptly.

"All right, I'll take you home." He followed her as she re-entered the house and made her way to the front exit.

"I need to tell my father I'm leaving." Sage stopped at the doors to the ballroom.

"Don't worry about it, I'll have someone inform him." Dominick gave her a friendly smile before gesturing for her to keep walking down the hall.

Sage took one more look at the doors before picking up her skirts and continuing down the hall.

When they finally reached outside, Dominick had someone bring a carriage around for them. They got in and were on their way to the Edwards' manor.

"I don't like how our friendship has gone astray." Dominick stated while staring out the window at the town outside.

Sage merely stared out the window to her left, seemingly ignoring him.

"Sage, why can't we just start over?" He was at the brink of pleading.

"And why bother? You know it will never last." Sage crossed her arms defiantly.

"Well we'll have to try and make it last if we're to be married." He stated casually, picking something out from under his nail.

"I beg your pardon?" Sage asked, completely taken a back.

"You heard me, married, next spring, in fact." He looked up at her and was a bit surprised to see her trying to hold in a laugh. "And what is so funny?"

"You would have to be completely out of your mind if you would think for even a second that I would ever marry you." Sage couldn't hold it in any longer and gave in to a fit of giggles.

"Oh, but I know for a fact we are to be married. Our father's arranged it all, the day before I arrived actually." Dominick couldn't help but smile at how cute Sage looked when she was angry.

"What do you mean, they've arranged it?" Sage seethed.

"As in, you and I are betrothed." He smiled.

"The nerve of that man, I swear, the next time I see him, I'm going to kill him." Sage ranted and raged.

"Calm down, Sage. It isn't all that bad, I mean you're going to be marrying the most sought after bachelor on the Island." Dominick stated charmingly.

"You pompus idiot. I never want to see you again." Sage spat before forcefully exiting the carriage just after it stopped in front of her house.

"Sage, wait!" Dominick jumped out after her, but reached her just as the door slammed shut in his face. "Damn it sage, you can't stay mad at me forever." He yelled at the door before throwing his hands up and turning back to the carriage. "Take me back to the governor's house." He told the driver, and left still not happy how things were left with his future bride.

Sage stood with her back against the door, listening as the carriage pulled down the drive. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, rubbing her eyes as the first hints of fatigue began to sting them. She had to admit she wasn't entirely upset with Dominick alone, her father was the one who planed this after all, or so Dominick said.

"God, how could he do this to me?" Sage rubbed irritably at the tears that threatened to fall.

She sighed. She wished she had been a bit nicer with Dominick. All he wanted to do was apologize and she just threw it back in his face. Tomorrow she would take a stroll and invite Dominick along, to talk things through with him and set things straight, and perhaps the entire engagement issue could be reconsidered. She blamed her nerves for her rash behavior, and her fatigue.

Deciding now was a better time then later to get ready for bed, Sage made her way upstairs to change and settled down before going off to a world of dreams she wished would come true.

* * *

.GD. 


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the long wait. I've been working a lot and trying to study for year end exams. Dreadful things those year end exams. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Have a good night and good morning.

* * *

The party was just starting to cool down, with people beginning to leave for their cozy homes and warm beds.

At the governor's table sat Garret, James, Dominick, the Lady Wrime and of course the governor himself. Garret and Fredrick were enjoying two finely made Cuban cigars, while James and Dominick spoke of their trip in the East. All seemed at piece, until a loud noise was heard from the hallway and the governor's assigned guards began to move about protectively.

"You don't understand I must speak to Garret Edwards!" Yelled a young man's voice from the other side of the ballroom.

"Who goes there?" The governor asked, now standing.

"We found this boy wandering about the house, Sir. He was hysteric, saying he needed to speak with Commodore Edwards. Said it was important." The guard shoved Thomas forward so that he stood alone in front of the head table. His face was covered in dirt and his knees were scratched and bleeding. His pants and shirt were ripped and he was holding his hat with shaking hands.

"You poor dear, you looked absolutely terrified." Bella sprang from her seat to be by the boy's side. She took her glass of water and offered it to him gently.

Tom took the glass and smiled shyly before drinking it all in one gulp.

"Bella, please, this is no time for you to play mother." Fredrick spoke with an annoyed tone.

Bella gave him a deadly glare that could take the color out of anyone's cheeks permanently

"Fredrick, this poor boy has obviously been through something terrible." She looked to Thomas for confirmation.

"Oh, yes, of course, my lady." He smiled impishly.

"See." Bella was an inch closer to sticking her tongue out at her husband, but she knew better then to step out of line around other people.

"What is the matter then, boy?" Fredrick asked, now seeming more bored with the situation then actually concerned.

"Sir." Thomas stepped closer to Garret now. "Sir, there are strange men, just off the boundaries of your property." He spoke quickly, but clear enough that anyone near the table heard him, many of whom gasped. "They are traveling through the forest. They're getting closer and closer to your house, sir." Thomas had a glimmer of fear and excitement in his eyes as he relayed the information to the Commodore.

"How close are they, exactly?" Garret stood and made his way around the table to stand in front of Tom.

"About twenty minutes away now, I ran here as soon as I saw them sir, I ran all the way from port Brave." Tom stood strong though his knees and legs wanted to give out under him.

"Port what?" James asked.

"Port Brave." Tom smiled remembering his and Sage's little adventure. "It's just a small beach Sage and I found yesterday. It's a good three or four hours through the jungle, but it's worth the trek once you see it." He smiled proudly.

"Yesterday, but Sage was at home yesterday." Garret looked confused, then stunned, then, with realization, very angry. "I'm going to have a long word with that girl. Where is she?" He seethed, his face going red and the vain in his neck throbbing.

"Oops." Tom shrunk back until he was standing behind Bella.

"Sage? I took her home, not twenty minutes ago." Dominick spoke up.

"What, she's home, alone?" Garret turned on Dominick.

"I told someone to inform you, I guess no one did." He looked angrily to the servant who was supposed to let the Commodore know, from across the room.

"Sage is all alone at the house and you say those people were getting close to our property?" James was now at his father's side, his soldier stance was strong and impressive.

"Yes, I'm almost completely certain they were heading for your home." Tom turned white when it was mentioned that Sage was alone at the house. "We have to hurry, someone needs to warn her." He tried to run, but the Commodore took hold of his shoulder before he could even take a step.

"We'll send the fort guards and we'll go with them." Garret looked into Tom's eyes as he spoke. He was still angry that Sage had lied, yet again to him, but for now he would put it aside until his daughter was safe and in his arms.

"I'm coming with you." James spoke commandingly.

"As am I." Dominick joined them in front of the table now. "I shouldn't have left her at the house alone." He looked down momentarily before looking apologetically to the Commodore.

"You didn't know, son." Patting Dominick's shoulder the Commodore signaled a guard to prepare a carriage for them. "Let's go before this gets out of hand."

Sir, there is one more thing." Tom stood before the commodore now. "Their colors sir, they were sporting the jolly Rodger upon their ship, sir." He bowed his head fearfully.

"Pirates." Garret looked to the governor. "You are to stay here, this might get messier then I thought."

"I'm not going to tell you off, only because you are my friend." The governor frowned at the commodore before going to the stage to make the announcement that the party was over and everyone was to return to their homes and locked all doors and windows.

Within minutes the commodore, James, Dominick, Tom and two hands full of guards were on their way to the Edwards manor.

Sage was humming an old lullaby quietly while she brushed her hair in front of her vanity mirror. She had changed into a cool white night gown, which felt like heaven against her warm skin, and her warm floral print housecoat to ward off the chill in the air. The night had cooled and continued to get colder as the minutes past, it seemed. Her hair was falling freely down her back and off her shoulders, completely tangle and knot free now. Sage replaced the sterling silver horsehair brush and picked up the delicate necklace she had received from her brother only hours before. Pulling her hair to the side, Sage fastened the necklace and admired the tiny twinkle it gave off in the firelight.

She stood once more and continued humming the childhood song she so lovingly remembered.

A breeze picked up and began to blow the drapes wildly from the open balcony doors. Sage walked to them and shut the doors. She was just about to shut the drapes when she caught a glimpse of her oil lamp blowing out, even though the doors were closed and no wind was present.

Although her bedside light was out, the room remained in a comfortable glow due to the other lights still flickering.

'That's odd." She scratched the back of her head before picking up the lamp and going over to one of the wall lights to re-ignite it.

As she walked back to her room, all the lights in her room miraculously burned out.

"What on earth?" Sage dropped the lamp in her hand at the sound of loud banging from downstairs and swore rudely at the throbbing pain in her foot, caused by the lamp falling on it.

She ignored the spilling oil from the lamp onto the expensive Persian rug and walked over to her door. Carefully, she walked to the end of the hall and across the large open staircase balcony.

"Hello?" She called down into the foyer. "Marie? John?" She called. "Armand?" She called when she thought she saw the old butler.

"Miss. Pst, miss, over here." Marie whispered from a dark corner at the other side of the stair case balcony.

"Marie, what's going on?" Sage joined her in a whisper.

"There are men downstairs." Marie looked to the stairs before turning her gaze to Sage's face. "They broke down the back kitchen door. They began stuffing old silver and china into trunks and bags. I think they may be pirates." Marie looked terrified, shaking and white in the face.

"What do we do?" Sage asked a bit alarmed. Sure she had trained with sword and pistol with Tom and James at the teachings of John in the back of the stables for a couple of years, but she had never had to use them in port Majesty, due to it being the safest port in all of Jamaica.

"I need to hide you somewhere." Marie looked as though she was in deep thought for a few seconds.

"Hide me? Why?" Sage asked.

"I made a promise to your mother before she died, that I would always keep you out of harms way." Marie stood now and walking in front of Sage to pear down the steps before turning back. "She was like a mother to me, I would never go back on a promise to her, even though she may not still be with us." Marie looked down at her hands, which were shaking immensely.

"Oh, Marie." Sage threw her arms around her maid, and friend. "Let us both hide then, that way I can be sure that you keep your promise and your life." Sage took hold of Marie's hands, then looked down the steps to make sure the coast was clear to cross to the hall on the other side unnoticed. "Let's go."

They walked fast, but not fast enough. At the bottom of the stairs was a dirty man in rags, aiming a pistol almost drunkenly.

"You there!" He took a step up the stairs, still aiming right for them.

Sage and Marie had frozen in fear, unsure of their next move.

"Who are you?" He asked in a distasteful slur.

Sage could feel Marie trembling beside her and had to close her eyes for a brief moment before stepping in front. "I am the Lady of this house." She spoke clearly and calmly, although her mind and body were anything but.

"Are you now?" He grinned nastily. His pistol lowered slightly. "A bit young to be married, aren't you?" He licked his lips to wet the cracking and chapped skin.

"My father is Commodore of this port and if you don't leave very soon, he will arrest all of you and have you all hanged by sunrise." Sage stated defiantly.

"Will he now?" The man swaggered up a couple more steps, getting that much closer to the two girls. "I don't think he'll catch any of my men. We are the fiercest pirates of the Spanish Main. No one has and ever will stop us." He slurred on, and then finished with a loud hick-up.

"Well, what do you want then?" Sage looked down at the pearl hanging on her chest and remembered the story her brother had told her about the most feared pirates of the world and how this pearl was the captains most prized possession. Instinctively her hand reached up to hold the winking pearl in her hand.

"What ever we can get our hands on." He smiled drunkenly before waving the gun at Sage.

Marie let out a small yelp as the gun aimed at Sage then to the floor again.

"What have you got there in your hand?" He gestured with the gun again, wining another small cry from Marie.

"It's nothing, just a small invaluable family trinket." Sage backed off when he made his way up more of the steps.

"I'll be the judge of that." He stumbled forward, gun still aimed at Sage.

"No, stay back!" Sage ordered bravely as she reached her arm around to push Marie further down the hall and away from the awful man smelling of alcohol and sick.

"Show me what you have, now!" He stood up straight, now at the top of the steps, towering a good five inches taller then both Sage and Marie.

"Just give him the necklace, Sage." Marie whispered from behind.

Sage turned her head for an instant to look at Marie and was caught off guard by a large grimy hand that came down onto her neck. She let out a scream of surprise and pain as he tightened his grip around her throat.

He seethed angrily as he aimed the pistol at Sage's temple.

Marie screamed once then again as he aimed the gun at her to silence her. "Please, don't hurt her." She pleaded helplessly.

"Shut up woman." He barked angrily before releasing Sage to backhand Marie into silence.

"You monster!" Sage yelled before lunging for the gun in his right hand.

Sage had his right hand in her two small hands and was trying to wrestle it free but was only able to bite him once before he threw her to the ground in a heap.

"You little witch, you'll pay for that." He growled looking down at his bleeding hand.

He aimed his gun down at Sage and cocked the gun slowly, grinning at her terrified expression as she lay helplessly on the floor.

In the blink of an eye the trigger was pulled and Marie lay lifeless across Sage's body.

After that it was a complete blur. There was a scream and Sage wasn't sure if it was from her own mouth. She jumped up and began punching, kicking, and biting anywhere she could reach on the man. Then she was on the ground again with a splitting pain in the back of her neck. There was another shot. Then darkness.

* * *

.GD. 


	7. Chapter 7

I wrote this one quickly so there are probably going to be tons of errors both grammatically and spelling wise. Sorry in advanced.

Enjoy it and tell what you think, as always.

* * *

There was a pungent smell hanging in the air. It smelt like blood and some form of alcohol. There was a stinging sensation then a cool feeling. The world was moving side to side in a rocking motion that made a person queasy. 

Her eyes felt heavy, as though two lead weights were holding them down, but with sheer determination on her mind, Sage fought to open them. She could only see clouds moving through her vision before she blacked out again.

When she was finally able to open them again, her vision was a blur. It was dark out, that she was sure of. She moaned in pain as dozens of stinging sensations made themselves present all over her body. She tried to lift her arm to rub her eyes clear of their clouds, but it was too heavy to lift and she was too tired to continue trying. She closed her eyes again and fell once more into unconsciousness.

By the time she had her eyes open again, there was sunshine pouring in through a window somewhere. The light was almost blinding at first, but after blinking a few more times, her eyes began to adjust.

"Finally awake I see." A rough old voice spoke from a dark corner.

Sage tried to sit up but found her strength had yet to return.

"Just stay down, you're still a bit weak from the blood loss." A cool hand came down on her bare shoulder. "We were all a bit scared you'd die in the night, but you're a strong one, I must say."

The voice was old and raspy, but the Scottish accent was a pleasant sound to Sage's ears.

"Where am I?" Sage asked, her eyes closed again as a wave of nausea came over her.

"You're aboard the Widow Maker, lass." The voice was proud and boastful as it traveled from one end of the room to the next and back.

A cool, wet object was place on Sage's forehead and she couldn't help but sigh at the refreshing sensation.

She lay there motionless while the words took a stroll through her head, making little to no sense to her. Then the events of the previous night came flooding back to her. Her eyes shot open wide and tears began to pour freely.

"Marie, where is she?" She tried with all her might to sit up but the cool hands came to both her shoulders to push her back.

"Now miss, you must stay down, your wounds are not completely healed." The Scott spoke calmly, though his eyes were full of worry.

"Were are my clothes?" Sage demanded as the blanket fell down her torso to lie covering her legs and lower abdomen. She was covered in a white linen bandage that was wrapped around the entire upper half of her body.

"They were scraps and in pieces by the time we got you aboard the ship." He tried once more to push her back down but she wouldn't allow herself to be pushed back into a lying position.

She had to get out of here. She had to find a way off this ship. She wanted to know where Marie was.

"Where is Marie?" She demanded as she tried pushing his hands away.

"I don't know who Marie is, lass." He put more force upon her shoulders but to no avail. "Miss, you need to lie down." He was almost frantic as patches of blood were becoming visible through the linen bandages.

"No, where is Marie?" Sage was yelling now, making it her duty to get out of this bed.

She kicked her leg out and caught the man in the groin. He doubled over in pain, giving Sage the opportunity to jump out of bed with the simple linen sheet wrapped around her body.

"Rickety, Ratch!" He yelled, still on the ground, his hands covering his pained area.

Two big burly men came through the door with swords at hand. One had a nasty scar across his face, while the other was limping with a wooden leg. Besides those subtle differences, the two were completely identical with brown hair and dirty tan skin, and the size of elephants.

"What's all the noise, Sam?" The scared one asked.

"The girl." The Scotsman, Sam, said pointing to Sage, who was huddled in a corner, holding her sides as they stung and bled profusely.

They both walked to her in unison. Sage screamed, as their blades got closer to her. All she could see was the silver glint of sword.

"Put those away you idiots!" Sam yelled as he walked to the side of them, still in a bit of pain. "My dear, we're only trying to help." He held out his hand for her. "Now you can go back to the bed freely, or I can have these two brutes attempt to carry you there themselves." He looked at the twins then back at Sage, who was shaking and going white while her lips turned a sickly blue color.

She held her hand out to Sam and let him lead her back to the bed where she collapsed immediately.

"Go tell the captain I'm having troubles keeping this one at bay." Sam turned to the two giants with orders.

"Aye, sir." The limping twin said before they both made their ways out of the room.

Sam looked down at the sleeping girl and began to unwrap the bandages to replace them with new ones.

"Our first course of action will of course be to send ships out through here and to the west and east side of Wentworth point." The commodore spoke loudly and clearly as he pointed on a large leather map to show all his trained captains where to take their ships in the search of his daughter and her captures. "If they are taking her to the slave auctions then their first stop will be here in south Spain." His eyes were red and tired from a night of rage filled tears. It was only when the sun began to rise that morning when he finally pulled himself together and ordered all troops to the fort.

"Sir, what about to the South?" James spoke up from his father's right side. He was dressed in his full navel uniform, ready for a long trip on the seas to retrieve his sister.

"You will be leading three ships down." Garret place a steady hand on his son's shoulder.

James nodded then turned to prepare his fleet for departure.

"The rest that I have not yet poke to will be staying here at port. If anything should go wrong and need be for more ships, I will send word." Garret nodded to the men around them as they all stood at attention, saluting their leader of war.

Garret walked to his office in the fort and closed to the door behind him before allowing himself to loose control again. His first victim was a small porcelain vase holding half wilting wildflowers Sage had picked for him three days before. He picked it up then threw it against the door. He then kicked a chair over and shoved all his documents off of his desk, making a mess of yellowing parchment on the floor.

A knock at the door had him smoothing back his hair and replacing his hat before answering.

"Come in." He stood in the middle of his office, back straight.

"Sir, I just wanted to— Dominick stood in the doorway with his mouth hanging open and eyes wide. "Sir, I just wanted to apologize." He swallowed hard at the intense stare the commodore was giving him.

"I've already told you, there is not need for apologies." Garret walked towards the door, pushing Dominick aside with his shoulder. "Just make sure you do all you can to bring my daughter back." He left Dominick standing in the doorway of his wrecked office to prepare his ship for it's long journey to the East.

The swaying room came back into focus again as Sage woke in the dark again. Her body ached and her head was throbbing, but her vision was a lot stronger now. She still felt sick, but her determination to get up was stronger. It was only when she tried to sit up when she noticed the leather straps. She was bound to the bed.

Her head shot back and forth frantically as she looked for the knot to unfasten to leather straps.

Her breath was becoming harsh and labored as she began to panic.

"No use working yourself into exhaustion. You won't be able to untie yourself." A cool husky voice drawled from the doorway, which had swung open slowly when Sage wasn't looking.

She looked over and saw a silhouette of a tall lean man leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. Then he walked into the light and Sage almost caught her breath when she saw him. He looked a lot like Dominick with his long black hair, and sharp handsome facial features, but this stranger had green eyes, and they were the most beautiful deep green eyes she had ever seen. He also looked a good two years older then both Dominick and her brother.

"Who are you?" Sage demanded near tears of frustration.

"Captain of this ship." He spoke with arrogance in is voice that Sage already found annoying.

"Well, does the captain of this ship have a name?" She asked still trying to free herself.

"The crew call me Falcon, so I guess that would be my name." He walked over to a chair next to Sage and the cot she lay in.

"Well then, Falcon, could you untie me?" Sage asked sweetly as sweat beaded on her forehead.

"I don't think so." He smirked before picking up a cold damp rag from the bedside table. "Last time you were free you injured one of my crew and almost killed yourself." He began to gently pat the cold cloth on her forehead. "This fever is a real pain." He sighed.

"What are you doing?" Sage asked tiredly.

"What do you mean?" Falcon asked.

"Why are you doing this?" Sage's eyes opened and closed as a wave of exhaustion flew over her.

"I don't know." He looked at the cloth in his hand with interest. "I guess I could just let you die if you'd like." He dropped the cloth over exaggerating his words and actions.

Sage just rolled her eyes before letting them close again.

"What happened to me?" She asked a bit out of breath. The fever was starting to pick up again and she had already lost most of her energy after loosing so much blood. "Where is Marie?"

"I'm assuming Marie was your maid?" He asked with disinterest. "She's dead."

Tears pooled and flowed immediately from Sage's eyes.

"As is that sad excuse for a human being, Frank." Falcon stood and paced from one side of the small room to the other. "The man who shot your maid." He explained at Sage's confused look.

"Am I going to die?" Sage asked through quiet sobs.

"No, your injuries aren't too serious." Falcon took the cloth again and continued dabbing at her forehead. "You were scratched up pretty bad from the forest. It was dark and those two idiots; Rickety and Ratch didn't see the big nettle vine before it was too late. It took a while before you stopped bleeding. There were at least a dozen deep scratches on both of your sides, which were beginning to close, but Sam tells me you've made it hard for your wounds to completely heal." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I want to go home." Sage stated plainly.

"Well there will be no going back to your precious little port now." Falcon stood and walked to the door. "You'll just have to deal with that for now."

"What do you want from me?" Sage asked.

"I don't know yet." He said with his gaze locked to hers, then turned and left the room.

* * *

.GD. 


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so very tired right now so excuse my lateness with this chapter and the next chapters to come. I hope you enjoy.

Love always.

* * *

Sage woke a few hours later in the same room; this time there was a light glow from outside the single grimy window of her room, signaling sunrise. 

There was a light knock at the door then a creaking as it opened slowly. There in the doorway was a petite woman who looked almost too innocent to be holding the long rapier she had strapped to her belt and the pistol strapped at her thigh. Her hair fell long and pin straight down her back in a shade of dark brown that almost matched Sage's hair color. Her dark brown eyes almost appeared black under thick straight cut bangs. She smiled warmly when she noticed Sage was awake and walked over with a silver tray laden with fresh fruits and a hot boll of chicken soup.

Sage closed her eyes as a fresh pain stabbed in her stomach at it's own realization of how empty it was.

"How are you feeling today?" This girl held herself like a proper lady but her accent gave away that she was clearly from the cheap side of England's slums.

"Hungry." Sage explained in one word.

"I bet you'd be after a night like last. It's luck you're still alive." She put the tray down on the bedside table before moving over to the bed to untie Sage, smiling all the while.

"You're…you're untying me?" Sage asked disbelievingly. She felt as though she had been restrained for weeks rather then the few hours she was bound while asleep.

"Well, it would be quite impossible for you to et while strapped down, now wouldn't it?" The girl answered. "There now, eat your soup, Sam spent a while getting the recipe just right. He's quite the cook if you ask me." She smiled happily as she chattered and placed the tray on Sage's lap.

The smell alone was like heaven, but Sage was weary as to accept food from strangers. She looked from the boll of steaming broth to the girl's dark brown eyes then back.

"What be the matter? Afraid it might bite you?" She laughed and tossed back her head letting her hair fall off her shoulders.

Sage decided dying from poison was much better then dying from hunger and took the spoon, skimmed it through the broth, brought it to her mouth and almost cried with joy at the flavors dancing in her mouth.

"This is wonderful!" She dropped the spoon immediately and picked up the boll, downing it unceremoniously in a few easy gulps.

"There, see, what I say is never a lie. Sam could open a restaurant and sell only that and become richer then the king himself if he wanted." The girl blushed when mentioning Sam again.

Sage saw the girls easy smile at Sam's name and couldn't help smiling herself, but soon remembered where she was and what the situation was and wiped the smile right off her face.

"What has you so glum?" The girl asked noticing Sage's quick change in demeanor.

"Why have you taken me? What do you want?" Sage asked pleadingly. She knew from last night's events she wasn't going to get her answers with brute force or arguing.

"Well the captain hasn't quite made his thoughts clear about you yet. But as I figure it, having another girl on board is never anything to be sad about." The girl smiled warmly again, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're the only other girl on this ship?" Sage asked aghast.

"Aye, I've been aboard the Widow almost me whole life, I have." She giggled.

"How old are you?" Sage asked not quite sure if she could even guess.

"I'm…" She brought her hand up to her face and started counting off. "Fifteen?" She finally decided.

"Fifteen years old?" Sage couldn't believe it. "Where are your parents? Did these rogues take you too?" Sage asked sitting closer to the edge of the bed.

"Parents? Rogues?" She burst out laughing again. "Me mum and dad died long ago from the plague in ol' London." She stopped laughing but the smile never fell from her face. "After that I was on me own. I went to the docks in search of me brother, and was happy to see he was still well and alive, working at the old fishery."

"I'm so sorry." Sage looked sympathetically. "You must miss your parents." She didn't quite understand why the girl was still smiling so.

"Oh very much so, miss." She smiled while looking out the window of the dirty old room. "But Falcon took very good care of me, he's my brother you see." She smiled wider as her eyes locked back onto Sage.

"I see." Sage pulled her legs up so that she could hug her knees. She really could see some similarities between the young girl before her and the man from last night. They shared the same sharp chin and easy grin.

"Oh, and where be me manors?" She girl stood abruptly and held out her hand for Sage to shake. When Sage cautiously took it she continued. "I'm Dot." She smiled quickly then released Sage's hand. "You've already met my brother, Falcon, and the first mate, Sam." Her eyes twinkled a bit. "Then you met Rickety and Ratch." She rolled her eyes and mumbled something like 'Those two'. "You haven't met Moose or Skunk yet though, but let me tell you, you don't want to meet Skunk." She giggled uncontrollably. "What's your name?" Dot asked once her fit of giggles had passed.

"My name is Sage." She said, smiling a bit at the bright bubbly girl's energy.

"Sage, now that's a pretty name. And might I say, you're very pretty too." Dot stared at her enviously.

"Thank you." Sage felt uncomfortable about being stared at but it soon past as the girl walked over to a small trunk in the corner of the room. She unfolded her legs and winced at the sharp pains from her sides as the fresh scabs made themselves known.

"Careful now, those sores are going to be bothersome for a bit still." Dot came back to the bed to present Sage with a simple white dress. It looked old and plain but anything was better then nothing at this point and Sage would have worn a barrel if need be.

"Thank you, again." Sage was beginning to like this girl, even if she was a part of the thieves who stole her from her home. She was a lot better then her brother, that's for sure.

"Need any help?" Dot asked as Sage searched for the strength to lift it over her head.

"I…" Sage was so overwhelmed with fatigue and grief and stress she hadn't realized was there until she attempted the silly task of putting on a dress.

Tears began to poor out quickly and relentlessly.

"There now, it's no problem, I'll help you get this silly thing on." Dot said, her smile dieing down but never leaving.

"It's not that, it's this whole mess I'm in." Sage huffed. "First Dominick kisses me and that really confused me to no extent, then Marie is shot and I'll never see her, or my father or brother ever again." Sage finished with a big not-so-lady-like sniffle.

Dot helped pull the dress over Sage's head and down so that it was covering her properly, then she stood back and watched as Sage cried herself into a rage.

"Why? For what, so some pirates can have their fun of confusing me even more?" Sage asked now directing her rage-filled teary eyes at Dot. "What am I even doing here? Is it for ransom?" Sage asked between teary breaths.

"I'm not sure." Dot's smile finally faded completely. She stared at Sage as more tears fell from Sage's depressed eyes.

"Just leave me alone, go tell your brother or captain, or what ever he is that he can just leave me in here to die for all I care." Sage turned from Dot and curled into a little ball. "I'm done with it all."

Dot turned and ran, small tears of her own falling slowly from her eyes as she ran straight for her brother's cabin at the back of the ship.

Not even five minute past before the door to Sage's tiny room slammed open and an angry looking captain sauntered in.

"What right do you have?" He yelled, his words hitting only Sage's back.

"Go away." Sage said quietly, but Falcon heard her clearly.

He took two big steps to the side of the cot and pulled Sage toward the edge, turning her to face him and ignoring her cry of pain.

"I said what right do you have?" He snarled. His eyes were the angriest eyes Sage had ever seen, and he was breathing heavily, as though he had run miles to get to her room.

"What are you talking about?" Sage asked without care. She truly had given up all hope.

"Never, since that girl was a baby had I ever seen Dot cry." He yelled. "She is the happiest girl in the world. What right have you to make her cry?" He was shaking Sage by the shoulders now.

"I didn't say anything directed at her." Sage managed to yell as a ripping pain spread from her sides.

"Then what did you say?" He demanded as he threw her against the bed and took a few steps back to calm himself.

Sage winced as she tried to lift herself into a sitting position. "I only said that I didn't care if you left me here in this disgusting room to rot and die, I'm done with my life." Sage said, her own anger beginning to peak. "I've only known that girl for a good thirty minutes, and in those thirty minutes I have found nothing to hold against her." She looked directly into the angry man's eyes with equal anger. "If you want to kill me, as you look to want to do right now, go ahead, get it over with." Sage enticed.

He gave her one long hard glare before turning and leaving, slamming the door shut behind him as he fled back to his cabin to speak with his sister.

Sage fell back into a laying position and closed her eyes, hoping that when she woke up she would be in either heaven or at the depths of Davy Jone's locker.

* * *

.GD. 


	9. Chapter 9

All right, so i found the strength to write one more chapter before i pass out. Have a good night one and all.

* * *

Sage only managed two hours of sleep before her body couldn't stand the sleep anymore. She lay in bed staring up at the wooden boards above her. She heard heavy footsteps above her on deck and orders being shout. Huffing in boredom, Sage slowly rolled over and pushed herself up into a sitting position with her legs hanging off the edge of her bed. She looked around the room taking in every detail she had neglected to see since she first woke. 

Her tiny cot was pushed against the farthest wall from the door just under a dirty little window that barely let in the sunshine from outside. The walls were dirty dark wood boards, as was the floor. At the end of the cot was an old trunk with few articles of clothing within. There was a dirty oval shaped mirror beside the door and an iron candelabra on the wall beside that. Other then that and the moldy smell invading Sage's nose there was nothing else in the room.

With great difficulty, Sage lifted herself off the bed and slowly walked over to the mirror and took her first look at herself in what seemed like weeks.

She gasped at the nasty dark circles under her eyes and the sheer white color she had turned. Her lips were cracked and her hair was a mess. She wanted to weep, she felt so haggard.

Turning to the trunk, Sage found an old leather cord hanging loosely from an old boot. She quickly pulled her hair back into a tight tail and began to pinch her cheeks for color.

Not quite satisfied with the job, but seeing no other possibilities at making her appearance better, Sage turned to the door and shakily ventured out.

Outside her door there was a tiny hall and two other doors. At the end of the hall was a set of stairs, which led up, to the deck above maybe? Sage could only hope as she walked to the stairs.

Reaching the top of the stairs there was yet another door, this one was a set of two beautifully carved doors stained with black finish. Sage turned the brass knob and was welcomed with fresh salty sea air.

She sighed as most of her muscles relaxed into the fresh cool air that wafted by her. She walked further out the doors and had to squint a bit at the bright sun shining down on her. Once her eyes had adjusted, Sage could see the deck was a live with activity. There were the two ogre twins sweeping and mopping on the starboard side. Sam was up at the helm, studying a map very intently. Dot was sitting behind him on the rail with her legs hanging off the side, carelessly knotting and un-knotting a rope while smiling and humming to herself.

Sage cautiously snuck to the side of the ship and tried to make her way to the very out most point of the bow un-noticed, but was caught around the waist and pulled up against something solid before she even knew what was happening.

"And where do you think you're going, woman?" A tall dark man wearing a deep red bandanna had Sage trapped with one of his strong dark arms. He had no hair and gold and silver teeth in his grin. His accent was French and Jamaican combined, if Sage wasn't mistaken. He had a face that Sage felt she could trust, but she wasn't going to give in too easily.

"I just wanted to see the water splash against the side of the ship is all." Sage mentally slapped her self for coming up with such stupid rubbish.

"Why don't I accompany the pretty lady then?" He smiled and his teeth sparkled.

"Why not?" Sage laughed nervously.

"So you're the one giving everyone grief then?" He kept his arm around Sage's waist but lightly and never tried to go lower. "I was on the ship keeping watch the night they brought you here, I never did get to see you for myself." He looked down at her and smiled. "You're a lot smaller then I pictured." He let out a brief laugh.

"Oh look there's the water and the side of the ship, I think I'm going to go back to bed now." Sage laughed nervously again then tried to turn back to the three small stairs, which led back to the deck from the bow of the ship.

"Going back so soon?" He tightened his grip on Sage's waist. "But I haven't even introduced myself." He smiled wickedly at Sage, winking before laughing with his deep welcoming laugh.

Sage swallowed hard and kept her eyes on his face, too scared to look away.

"My name is Moose." He said, taking one of Sage's hands to kiss the knuckle softly. "At your service, Madame." He held her hand firmly then bowed before her.

Sage couldn't help but feel a little more at ease with this man. He was kind enough and seemed genuinely nice. She was so very confused. Who were these people, and what did they want? Why had they taken her? They didn't act as the pirates she had heard about in stories did.

"All right, now you may go back to your room." He took her hand in his and led her down the steps to the main deck. "I'll escort you back if you don't mind." He said warmly.

"No." Sage answered as her thoughts took her mind away from reality.

"Is she giving you troubles Moose?" Falcon asked as he walked over to the two.

"Not at all captain." Moose winked at his captain. "Is this really the one then? She seems fine to me." He smiled wryly.

"You haven't seen her in her real light yet, my friend." Falcon stared right into Sage's eyes, but knew her attention was elsewhere. "I'll take her from you now, if you don't mind. Skunk needs you in the library." Falcon gestured to the doors Sage had come from.

"Of course captain." Moose gave Falcon a brief salute before disappearing through the doors.

"Now, as for you." Falcon said eying Sage up and down.

Sage finally came back to reality and noticed the dark man had left her alone with the captain, great.

"Where did that fellow go?" Sage asked looking around.

"Moose had some business to attend to." Falcon looked at her, a small glimmer of concern passing through his eyes. He looked towards the helm and was hoping to catch Sam's attention but was annoyed to see Sam's attention was already taken by Dot. "Why don't I take you back to your room, you look a bit pale still." Falcon took Sage by the arm and tried to guide her back but she protested.

"No, please." Sage begged. "I don't want to go back in the dark." She looked at him with sad eyes.

"It was only a few hours ago when you didn't care if you lived or died, what do you care if you're in the dark now?" He asked a bit annoyed with her protests. No one ever said no to him, he was the captain.

"Please." Was all she said, and was all she had to say with eyes like hers.

One look at those deep blue eyes shining with unshed tears was enough to have to captain picking her up and carrying her on his back, but he refrained from any arduous labor like that and settled for huffing in annoyance before speaking again.

"Fine, why don't you come sit down over here then." He ushered her to a barrel near the starboard railing and sat her down before sitting himself on a crate in front of her. She was too pale for his liking and wished his sister would shut up so he could get Sam over here to look at her.

Sage looked longingly at the horizon. It was so vast and straight cut, and full of possibilities. She sighed sadly.

"Something wrong with what you see?" Falcon asked as he followed her gaze.

"No, it's just, I used to wish for an opportunity to sail the seas on a ship with no destination, but I never thought my wish would come true quite like this." She said gesturing to the deck and it's crew.

"Like what?" He asked while looking around his ship.

"Why am I talking to you?" Sage asked all of a sudden, catching the captain off guard. She looked shocked at him before standing up all too quickly. Her head spun and she almost fell flat on her back when she tried to take a step.

Falcon leaped up and caught her before she fell.

"Careful." He said soothingly before sitting her on his crate.

"Why are you doing this?" Sage asked as she placed a shaky hand to her forehead.

"Doing what?" He asked swatting her hand away to take her temperature.

"Pretending to care if I'm all right or not?" She asked a bit annoyed with him.

"Who says I'm pretending?" He asked while smirking.

"Right, the pirate captain who kidnapped me wants to make sure I'm felling all better so he can what, take me home in one piece?" Sage looked at him tiredly. "I'm drawing blanks all over my mind thinking of reasons why I'm aboard a ship full of pirates who are feeding me soup and clothing me in pretty dresses instead of locking me away in a cellar in the brig." She closed her eyes and her mind swam momentarily before she opened her eyes again to look into the captain's amused ones.

"You spend far too much time thinking don't you?" Falcon half smiled before standing up to pace momentarily before turning back to Sage. "You want to know why you're here?" He asked and smiled at her slow nod. "All right, I'll tell you."

Sage looked up eagerly.

"You're here because an old women of the swamps told me to find you." Falcon clasped his hands together in front of him.

"That's it?" Sage asked un-amused. "Some old bat told you to find me, so you came to my house, shot my friend and took me from my family?" She rubbed a hand over her face and just shook her head at him before laughing.

"Well, in a nut shell, yes." Falcon raised his eyebrows at her, as her laugh became hysteric. "She said once I found you to take you back to her and she would tell me what to do next, once she's seen you of course." Falcon wanted to put a thick gag in her mouth to stop the laughs emitting from her. It was starting to scare him a little, though he would never admit it.

"I've gone mad." Sage pushed herself up slowly and took a testing step after the dizzy spell had passed. She was still laughing but not as much now.

"Probably." Falcon said as he braced her before she fell again. "I'll help you back to your room." He said, gently taking her upper arms.

"No, don't." Sage shrugged his grip off before turning on him. "Don't touch me." She said with fire in her eyes. "Just stay away from me." She turned away from him and slowly made her way to the doors, walking through them then down the stairs and back to her room, as fast as her worn out body would let her.

Falcon stood in the same spot and just watched as she painfully made her way back to her room. He rubbed the tense spot on the back of his neck and let out a big breath he didn't know he was holding.

"How is the patient?" Sam asked as he walked over to his long time friend.

"Still weak, a little shaken up." Falcon looked at Sam and frowned. "I told her about the witch."

Sam let out a low whistle. "I take it she didn't quite believe you?" Sam asked.

"I think she believes me, but I'm not sure she's quite happy with the answer she got." Falcon sat down on the crate, Sam joined him.

"It's expected, we took her from a safe place, Falcon." Sam slapped a hand onto Falcon's back as his friend bent over to lean on his knees.

"I know. She's just confused is all." Falcon let out a large breath of frustration. "I'm not even sure I understand any of this either." He confessed.

"It will all clear up with time." Sam spoke with his words of wisdom, which always seemed to calm Falcon down.

"Thanks." Falcon said smiling at Sam before standing. "I'll be at the helm if you need me." He said before he turned from Sam to take his charge at his beloved wheel.

"I'll go check up on our favorite guest." Sam said and laughed as Falcon waved him off.

* * *

.GD. 


	10. Chapter 10

After a long talk and a short argument about Sage not eating enough since she arrived on the ship, Sage followed Sam from her room into the small hall. They went through the door opposite hers and were met with a small but steep flight of stairs.

"How big is this ship?" Sage asked with interest, as she held tight to the banister at her right, attempting to climb down in one piece.

"The Widow is actually quite small, good for speed." Sam said proudly. "But there are many halls and levels in the hull of the ship, be warned, you may get lost." He said cheekily as he helped her down the last two steps.

They continued down another hall, this one two times narrower then the one they entered from one floor up. Sage was amazed at the incredible carvings and paintings in the wood flank walls, and was tempted to asked who had done the beautiful work, but decided to keep her thoughts to herself, she was surrounded by strangers after all, best not to trust them.

She was un-able to continue however when light from one of the many wall lamps splashed against the wall opposite. There, painted on the wall was a beautiful yet desperately sad painting of a woman standing at waters edge. You could only see half her face for that was the angle she was standing, but on that half you could read the overwhelming sadness in her one eye as a single tear fell along her soft cheek.

"Do you like that one?" Sam asked noticing Sage had stopped to observe the wall décor closer.

"It's beautiful." Sage said in a wispy voice as she became mesmerized by the image.

"Falcon won't admit it, but that boy has talent in him, he does." Sam said as he too observed the image with a friendly grin on his face.

"Falcon did this?" Sage asked disbelievingly.

"Why yes, of course." Sam said turning to look at Sage. "Falcon is responsible for every bit of art you find on this ship, from the carvings on the doors, floors and walls, to the wonderful paintings here and there." Sam smiled proudly once more.

"Unbelievable." Sage commented as her attention was once more drawn to the artwork on the wall.

"You should ask to see his collection. Captain's got a whole two cabin's full of artwork." Sam said as he continued down the slim hall.

Sage followed behind, looking over her shoulder to take one last look at the mural before following Sam through a door at the end of the hall.

"And here we are, this is where I make my artwork come to life." Sam boasted as the smell of freshly caught fish reached Sage's nose.

They had reached the kitchen, Sam's home and favourite place to be. Sage stood in the doorway as Sam walked straight to the small wood burning stove where a pot was bubbling, then over to a thick and heavy looking chopping table which sat in the middle of the small but functional room to clear unusable fish guts into a pale.

"What do you think?" Sam asked excitedly, wrinkles slightly creasing at his eyes due to his abnormally big smile.

"It smells like fish and onions." Sage commented, still in the doorway.

"Oh, but that's the beauty of this place. It's always full of fish and onions, along with fresh bread at times and roasted clams and other delectable treats." He went to her and grabbed her hand, leading her farther into the kitchen.

"I'm not so sure I'm all that hungry, sorry." Sage said as her gaze landed on a fish that had its belly sliced open but was visibly still breathing.

"Oh, posh now. I'll make you something small and light, but you will eat." Sam said as he quickly pushed the fish into another bucket and hid the bucket under his chopping table. "While I cook, why don't you tell me a little something about yourself?" Sam suggested as he pulled up a wooden stool for Sage to sit on as he rubbed herbs and honey into a freshly killed and cleaned chicken carcass.

Sage looked at him sceptically, unsure if she should tell him anything. They had kidnapped her from her home after all, but there was the matter of them helping her back to health and not hurting, maiming, killing and or trying to sell her to a slave camp. Should she trust them?

"What would you want to know?" Sage asked carefully. It was a start and to Sam's bright smile, Sage guessed it was a good start.

"How about you tell me about your family?" Sam asked as he busied himself with a bunch of potatoes he had to peal.

"I live at home with my father and brother." Sage said, her nerves were calm and she felt at ease in this place. Sam was much older then the others, and he seemed to be the nicest, aside from Dot that is.

"Do your father and brother have names?" Sam asked, smiling at her before looking back at the task at hand.

"My father is Commodore Garret Edwards and my brother is James Edwards." Sage said with a smile. She could see them in her mind, smiling with her in their home, warm and safe.

"They sound important." Sam said.

"My father is the leader of Port Majesty's small yet strong army. There has been no attack or incident in Port Majesty for many years, thanks to my father." Sage said proudly. "Except for this recent event." She said wearily.

"Your father sounds like a good man." Sam said, understanding the look of longing and need to be home in Sage's eyes. "Such a fine man, but he must have a fine wife?" Sam asked.

"My mother is dead." Sage stated looking up slightly.

"I'm sorry." Sam put down his pealing knife to give Sage a sympathetic look.

"She died when I was young, but I still remember things about her." Sage continued. "The smell of her rose water perfume from France, the shade of her lipstick as she left smudges of it on my cheeks when she gave me a kiss goodnight before leaving for the nights party." Her eyes glowed with new tears. "She died in an accident on my father's old ship. She drowned." Sage looked down at her hands in her lap.

"The sea has claimed many." Sam said as he walked over to Sage and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And many of whom did not deserve to be claimed." He smiled sympathetically at her.

Sage gave him a small watery smile as thanks.

"Now, you absolutely must try this, it's a new creation of mine. Now usually I have Dot try out all my new creations, but she's busy with something above deck, so you'll have to be my test subject." Sam handed Sage a silver plate with two pieces of bread on it.

"Umm…" Sage stared at the bland bread with questioning eyes.

"Just take a bite." Sam pressured.

Sage took a bite and was delighted to taste something creamy and smooth in between the two pieces of bread. "This is wonderful." She said then took another bite. "What is it?"

Sam smiled before answering. "I decided to liven up our old time bread friend, butter, so I ground up a bunch of peanuts until I had a fine powder, then I mixed it in with some butter and there you have it." He said smartly.

"What do you call it?" Sage asked as she stuffed more of it into her mouth.

"Butter-peanuts." He stated before returning to the chicken, which was to be served for dinner that night.

Sage let a light laugh escape her before taking another bite.

"Sam, why don't you tell me a bit about the crew, and this ship?" Sage asked, feeling more and more at ease with each passing hour.

"Well, where shall I start?" Sam said and he scratched his chin.

"Why don't you tell me about the crew first?" Sage suggested. "I want to know how old everyone is, where they came from, why they decided to become rebellious against the law." Sage said enthusiastically.

"Have you been thinking about asking these questions for a while?" Sam asked, chuckling a bit.

"Maybe." Sage said, calming down.

"All right." Sam started. "Well as you might have noticed, I am the oldest." He said with a frown. "But I'm not that old. I'm thirty five." He stated strongly. "Then next is Falcon, he's twenty two." Sam watched as a look passed through Sage's eyes, though he wasn't sure what kind of look it was. "Next is skunk." Sam shuddered. "He's twenty. Then there's Rickety and Ratch, they're nineteen." He paused to think for a moment then continued. "I think next is Moose at eighteen, then Dot at fifteen." He smiled lovingly at the mention of Dot's name.

"Are you and Dot, umm?" Sage trailed off.

"What, involved?" Sam asked at the look in Sage's eyes, and then burst out laughing.

Sage jumped in surprise before regaining her composure.

"Heavens, I'm old enough to be her father." Sam laughed a little more before stopping to look at Sage with a goofy grin. "I know of Dot's feelings for me, but mine are purely respectful towards her. She's almost like a sister to me." He couldn't help the small laugh that escaped his lips. "I've known Falcon and Dot almost their entire lives." Sam began to venture more into the lives of the crew now. "I used to work with Falcon in an old fish factory in London. I looked out for the poor kid, out of respect for his father. We were old friends." He added at Sage's questioning look.

"Oh." Sage got off from her stool and walked over to the chopping table and began pealing a potato to help while Sam told his story.

"Falcon started working at the old factory when he was fifteen years old. He had taken the job to help his parents out, or so he said. Such a young lad shouldn't be working." Sam shook his head. "But he wanted to help, and the factory let anyone work for them, so there he was, and there I was wondering what in blazes was he doing there. I went to his home that very evening and talked with his father, little did I know he had fallen ill with the plague. Their home had all ready been boarded up and marked with the black 'X'." Sam frowned sadly and shook his head even more. "It broke my heart when I saw Dot in her mother's arms, sitting on the cold street in front of the house. I knew from the color of their mother's skin that she had all ready passed, but Dot was just sleeping, unknowing in her mother's cold embrace." Sam had to stop for a moment to fight off the urge to yell. "I took Dot to my house, then that night at the factory I asked Falcon to come live with me." A single tear fell from Sam's eyes. "He told me he had to be home with dinner that night. The young lad was so brave, and so stupid." Sam smiled as another tear fell. "I took him home with me that night and we all three of us had a cry. The next morning I went to work and made Falcon stay home with Dot. We lived in my small house for two more years after that before the plague began to spread further through cheap side. I knew I had to get us out of there, so I took Dot and Falcon back to Ireland with me where we worked for my parents on their farm." Sam stopped to think. "I think Falcon was seventeen when he played his first hand of poker in the local pub." Sam smiled at the memory. "I scolded him when I found out, but that didn't stop him from sneaking out the very next night to play again. The next morning Falcon came home with a large grin on his face, which didn't fade even as I yelled at him." Sam chuckled. "Apparently Falcon was very good at poker because he won himself a ship that night." Sam chuckled again, gesturing to the room around them.

"He won this ship in a hand of poker?" Sage asked unbelievingly.

"Aye, one good hand and he had a ship." Sam laughed.

"I guess his luck finally turned around." Sage said with a sympathetic smile.

"Oh aye, his luck had turned around, but that wasn't the end of our bumpy road of a life before now." Sam said with an exaggerated sigh. "A couple months after that my parents fell ill and died."

"I'm sorry." Sage said.

Sam smiled then continued. "They were old, it was just their time, but that's not even the worst of it. Not long after they were in the ground a gang of thugs came to the farm and ransacked the place. There were too many of them, and I just couldn't take them on my own." Sam's eyes lit with anger. "Falcon tried to fend them off as they approached Dot, but they threw him aside easily. Dot, bless her soul, fought hard for a little ten year old, but she too lost her mighty battle. They tried to make off with Dot that night, but luck came back to us one last time." Sam smiled. "A few of the towns folk were out on the lookout for these men and came to the rescue. I was bloodily beaten in the corner, Falcon was unconscious and Dot was screaming her little lungs out for the whole world to hear, luckily the group from town heard and came in, scaring away the thugs.

I knew then that Ireland was no longer safe for us, so we packed up what we could and made for Falcon's ship. We meant to sail to another country, but the sea seamed far more appealing to Falcon and Dot, and myself too. We stopped now and then for fresh food and water and we picked up the rest of our crew along the way, but we never made a permanent home on land since then." Sam finished his tale.

Sage was speechless. She took a few minutes to take in all the information then looked up at Sam with admiration.

"You are all so brave. What an adventure your lives have been." She smiled warmly at Sam as they continued to peal the potatoes in silence.

"Would you like to know more about the rest of the crew?" Sam asked.

"No, that's all right. Maybe another time." Sage suggested.

"Anytime miss." Sam replied.

A knock was heard from the door as Moose entered the kitchen.

"Anything good for dinner?" He asked as he rubbed his belly.

"Dinner's not for a while. Be gone pest." Sam said as he turned to the stove to check on the bubbling concoction.

"He hates when I bother him for food, but I do it anyway." Moose wriggled his eyebrows at Sage, winning a small giggle from her.

"Have you tried his butter-peanuts?" Sage asked, feeling a lot more confident now amongst these people.

"No, why is it as good as his butter-chocolate?" Moose asked excitedly.

"That's all he thinks about is chocolate, damn boy is obsessed." Sam commented. "That's how he got his name." He said before laughing.

"Well it's better then what Dot wanted to call me." Moose shuddered before whispering to Sage. "Cocoa."

Sage and Moose laughed heartily before Sam interrupted.

"Both of you, out, I need peace and quiet to finish cooking." Sam said now pushing them both out into the tiny hall.

"Don't worry, he always gets like this when I bother him in his smelly laboratory." Moose said hooking an arm around Sage's shoulder. "Shall we?" He asked gesturing to the stairs at the end of the hall.

They climbed the stairs then climbed the second set of stairs until they were out on deck again.

The fresh sea air was crisp and a little chilly, but Sage enjoyed it none the less. The wind picked up her hair and had it dancing around her face. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the cool feeling of a light spray from the sea wash over her face.

"Have you never been aboard a ship at sea?" Moose asked, enjoying her peaceful disposition.

"Only when I was younger, when we would travel to England from Jamaica and back." She answered.

"The sea suits you." Moose commented, giving Sage a hearty look-over.

Sage's smile faded a little at his gaze on her body. She cleared her throat and was about to say something about needing to go back to her room when Dot came by.

"Are you feeling better then, miss?" She asked, smiling again.

"Yes, much better." Sage said then frowned. "I want to apologize, Dot, for making you upset."

"No need, miss, I understand." Dot said cheerfully. "But I accept your apology anyway." She said before taking Sage's hand. "I want to show you something." She said excitedly before leading Sage to the back of the ship where a large set of cherry wood doors, carved with an image of a mermaid sitting on a rock sat.

They entered the doors and were met with yet another hall. In this hall there were two doors and a small set of stairs in the middle of the floor.

"What's down there?" Sage asked.

"That's the wine and rum cellar. No one is aloud down there save for Falcon and Sam." Dot said almost seriously. "It's a rule to prevent drunken idiots as my brother might say." She explained before giggling.

She pulled Sage over to the door on the left and opened it with enthusiasm.

Sage was shocked when she was met with the sight of the room before her. Inside the room were cages and crates, glass containers and brass stands, all laden with animals. There was a Beautiful blue winged macaw on the sparkling brass stand by the window. A big bright green boa constrictor hung from the rafters in the ceiling. There was a long wooden table against one wall and on the table was a glass box with two tropical butterflies fluttering around inside, a box with holes in it marked 'RAT' in charcoal on the side, and many tools and packages meant for care of the animals. Under the table was a large wicker basket with a plump cat sleeping comfortably, and on a plush bed on the other side of the room was a baby bangle tiger.

"Oh my god, is that a real tiger?" Sage gasped as the feline licked its lips.

"Yes it is. That's Ruby. She was a present from the crew to me on my birthday just last month. We were in India and this little thing was lost without its mother." Dot walked over to pet Ruby, who began to purr immediately. "Poor thing's mother was shot by poachers just after she was born, she's only a month old, born on my birthday." Dot smiled lovingly at Ruby.

"She's very beautiful." Sage commented, as she dared get closer.

"Go ahead, give her a pet. She likes being scratched behind the ears." Dot said as she backed away to give Sage room to get closer.

Sage slowly walked closer to the bed and held out a shaky hand very slowly.

Ruby sniffed the air in front of Sage's hand and began to stand up on the bed, taking a small step closer to Sage. Ruby stretched her neck so that the top of her head would touch Sage's hand.

Sage gasped in surprise then smiled and began to laugh joyfully as Ruby purred and rubbed her face against Sage's hand.

"See, she's just like a cat." Dot said, coming back to pet Ruby again.

"Is this your room?" Sage asked going over to a glass jar to observe two big hairy spiders fighting.

"Yes, it's also known as the jungle." Dot said, jumping onto her bed.

"This ship is amazing." Sage said, turning back to Dot. "You have countless rooms and halls, a kitchen, a jungle." She said smiling while waving her hand in the air to emphasize 'jungle'.

"That's not all, we also have a huge collection of books in our library, and there is a small room in the pit of the hull I like to call the barn. It's where we keep our animals for slaughter." At the mention of the word slaughter, all the animals in Dot's room seemed to shudder.

"A library? This ship isn't a ship, it's a mansion!" Sage exclaimed.

"Most ships aren't like this, true, but when you've decided to live on the sea, you have to make it your home, so that's what we did." Dot said, smiling.

"Well it's a lovely home." Sage said kindly sitting on the bed with Dot so they could pet Ruby together.

They talked together, never noticing a presence at the door.

"Dot, do you know what the woman of the swamp wants with me?" Sage asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know much about that business. My brother has been acting strange lately; he doesn't talk to me as much anymore. One night I heard him shouting in his sleep and I went to wake him from what I thought was a nightmare, but when I got to his room he was already awake and plotting a course on a map. The next week we were in the swamps and he was leading us to some place as though he's been there before." Dot stopped petting Ruby. "He went into a rotting hut and made us wait outside for him, even Sam. When he came out he told us we needed to set sail for Port Majesty, then he started on his way back to the ship." Dot smiled brightly again. "I don't know why but it brought you on board and I'm glad for it. Now I can have a best friend that isn't furry and bothersome when it comes to sharing the bed." Dot said while giving Ruby a friendly shove.

"Have you asked him about what he dreamed of?" Sage asked.

"Why would I?" Dot asked.

"Aren't you curious as to why this is all happening?" Sage stood up and scratched her side where a scab was bothering her.

"I trust my brother, so there is no need for silly questions, besides, don't you know that curiosity killed that cat?" At that the fat cat in the basket looked up from her slumber.

"I've heard of that saying, but never believed it true." Sage smiled.

Ruby looked at the door sharply before pouncing off the bed and wandering over.

Just before she got there the door opened up all the way and Falcon stepped into the room.

"Dinner is ready." He announced to his sister, his eyes trailing to Sage on the floor, petting the cat.

"We'll be right down." Dot said, smiling ear to ear.

Falcon nodded before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

Dot giggled then hopped off her bed to pick Ruby up -with great difficulty- and place her back on the bed.

"Lets go get some food." She said before taking Sage's hand again and leading her down to a room beside the kitchen, which served as their dinning room.

There was conversation and laughter all throughout dinner, and it reminded Sage of home. These people were so different from the people she grew up with, but at the same time, they were just human beings, just like everyone else, and, Sage decided, she liked them, a lot.

* * *

.GD. 


	11. Chapter 11

I'm going to try for a little more action and adventure in the next chapter I promise! I feel like there isn't enough, or rather, any at all as of yet.

Thank you all so kindly for your reviews and kind words.

* * *

"Sir, I've just received the report from our fleet in the southern region." A stout young man announced as he entered commodore Edwards office cabin. 

"And?" Garret inquired not looking up from his many maps, lying half-hazardly on his desk.

"There is no sign of them as of yet, Sir." He finished quickly.

Garret slammed his fist hard on the desk causing many quills and ink jars to tumble to the floor.

"Where the bloody hell are they?" He asked no one in particular as he moved one map away to inspect another.

"Sir, a note was sent with the report from the captain James Edwards." The young man walked quickly to the commodore's desk, dropped the note then wandered quickly back to the doorway.

Garret grabbed the note then read it through once, then again.

_Dear father. _

_I have not found your daughter yet, but there is still hope._

_I've asked many locals at our first stop if they've seen the group who took her._

_Apparently these people are well known pirates around these waters._

_They were last seen in a small port town at the Amazon River connection._

_I'm taking my ships there now._

_We can only hope at this moment that they will return to this place._

_I will write you later with another thorough report, and don't worry father,_

_We will get her back, I promise._

_-James._

Garret carefully folded the paper and placed it in a drawer to his right. He gestured for the two guards standing guard in his office to leave. Once he was alone he put his face in his hands and wept.

Back on the Widow Maker the sun was just beginning to set on Sage's fifth day aboard. There was a light breeze blowing through the sails and most of the crew were busy with a few last minute chores before bed. Moose was lighting oil lamps around the deck giving it a light glow in some places and shadowed corners in others. Rickety and Ratch were having an argument only they could understand. Dot was chatting with Sam as he wrapped a rope tightly together, and Falcon was sitting alone at the bow of the ship with a sketchbook and charcoal in hand.

Sage saw him and decided to be brave and go see what he was drawing. She slowly and quietly tiptoed over to him, trying her hardest not to bother him with any noise.

Falcon was hunched over on a barrel, sketchbook open and charcoal doing it's magic on the page of fresh parchment. He looked up at the sunrise every once in a while, tilted his head then looked back down at the page. Sage noticed little things about him then, such as how handsome he looking with the evening light gracing his sharp and handsome features. She couldn't believe she was admitting this, even if it was just to her self, but she felt an attraction for this young pirate.

Sage was just behind his shoulder, looking at the page with amazement. Although he was using black to draw, he used a certain shading technique that showed you where the different colors were. He was drawing the horizon and the sun setting beyond. It was truly breathtaking.

"Wow." Sage merely breathed the word, but because Falcon had no idea anyone was watching him, let alone her, he jump, dropping his sketchbook and his box of charcoal on the floor. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Sage gasped as many other drawings spilled from his book. She bent down immediately to help pick them up.

Falcon said nothing as he began filing papers together and replacing them within the book cover.

"Your drawings are very good." Sage ventured for a bit of light conversation.

"Thanks." Falcon nodded dryly.

"Have you always liked drawing and painting?" Sage asked.

"Sure." Falcon grabbed the last stack of papers from Sage and shoved them quickly back into his book, snapping it closed noisily.

"Oh, please don't stop drawing on my account, I'll leave if you wish." Sage backed away awkwardly, afraid she might have upset him.

Falcon sighed before rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "No, you can stay, I was almost done anyway." He said, gesturing to another barrel near his.

"Thank you." Sage gave a tiny curtsy before taking a seat, her bare feet poking out from under the pretty yellow sun dress Dot had given her to wear that morning.

Falcon flipped through some pages before finding his unfinished drawing. He took it out, placed it on the cover then continued to draw.

Sage watched in wonder as the sunset became alive on paper.

Within a matter of minutes Falcon had finished with a tiny splash of a signature at the bottom of the page. He smiled at his finished work then handed it to Sage.

"It's wonderful. You have a true talent for this." She said smiling, then handed it back.

"Keep it, it's yours." He said flatly before hoping off his seat and making his way to the back of the ship.

"Wait!" Sage called after him as she hurried to catch up with him.

Falcon continued to walk, but his pace had slowed steadily.

Sage walked beside him and found the courage to ask something she had been meaning to ask for a couple of days now.

"Could I see your room?" She asked.

Falcon stopped dead in his tracts and raised his eyebrows at her. "Beg your pardon?"

"Sam said you had lots of your art stashed away in your rooms, I'd like to see them." She said, not catching on to his astonishment.

"Right." Falcon blew out a heavy breath while he thought. "Only if you promise not to touch anything." He said forcefully.

"Promise." Sage said while holding up one hand in surrender.

"This way." He said, leading her through the big mermaid carved door, then through the right hand door and into his rooms.

It was dim but there were enough candles lit so that you could see around the room. The first room was full of wooden crates and tables covered in paints and brushes and coals and other art supplies. The walls had various paintings and drawings covering them, and the floor was bare in the middle for there was a large carved image there. It was a carved image of a forest full of night creatures and trolls and fairies. It was mysteriously charming in it's own way. On the right hand wall was another door. Sage walked over to it and was about to open it when Falcon grabbed her hand.

"What's through there?" She asked expectantly, looking into Falcon's cold eyes.

"That's where I sleep." He said coldly.

"Are there any pictures in there?" Sage asked.

"Yes." He answered.

"Then let me see." Sage said before rudely pushing him aside and opening the door. She gasped before her breath caught in her throat. Centered against the far wall was a large canopy bed. The bedposts were all carved with different creatures on them such as bears, deer, and wolves, even people. The floor was covered with a plush red Persian rug that felt like heaven on Sage's worn and cold bare feet. On the walls were some of the most beautiful pieces of art she had ever seen. There were paintings of raging seas, tropical islands, dry deserts and cozy cottages.

"What are all these pictures of?" She asked quietly as she traveled the room, taking in all the beauty.

"They're places the crew and I have seen and traveled to." Falcon said as he stood at the door, smiling a bit as he watched her gaze up in wonder at his work.

"Falcon, you know you could sell your art and become rich and never have to steal from another living soul again. You could be famous." She said.

"What is the fun in that? I rather like robbing rich, snobbish people with nothing better to do in their lives then rub it in to the poor that they have all the money." He said dryly, his smile gone.

"I'm not like that." Sage said defensively.

"I never said you were." He said smirking as he jumped onto his bed and lay on his back with his hands behind his head.

"Well you implied it." Sage crossed her arms across her chest.

"If that's what you want to think, then you go right on thinking it." He said looking up at the ceiling.

"You're insufferable, you know that?" Sage threw her arms up before storming to the door.

"Oh, Sage?" Falcon called causing Sage to stop in her tracks.

"What?" She snarled.

"Close the door, would you love?" He said before laughing as she yelled before slamming his door closed.

Back on deck Sage shuddered as a cold wind picked up her skirts making them dance against her legs. There was a sudden flash in the sky then a booming thunder.

"Storm approaching Sam!" Moose called from the crow's nest.

"Rickety, Ratch, secure the main mast." Sam ordered as he turned the wheel this way and that.

Sage walked up to the helm to see Sam. "What's going on?" She asked at his distressed look.

"There be a large storm approaching. You should be fine if you go and stay with Dot in her cabin." Sam grunted as a large wave hit them, pushing the rudder and ship in the wrong direction. Then he hissed as a big wind push against the boom sail giving him a hard time at holding the wheel. "It's best you get inside before it gets ugly out here, Sage." Sam said between breaths as he maneuvered the ship into the storm.

Sage nodded quickly before walking quickly down to the main deck then through the mermaid doors. A big wave had hit roughly on the side of the ship causing it to lurch to the right, also causing Sage to tumble to the right, falling onto Falcon in the process.

"Are you all right?" He asked from under her, subconsciously hold her still.

"Yes, sorry." Sage said blushing furiously with her eyes stuck on his.

"It's no problem." He replied, not letting go and not giving any sign that he was going to get up.

"I should probably get up." Sage said nervously, mentally slapping herself for being so awkward and clumsy.

"Probably." Falcon said leaning up.

Sage's eyes widened as she saw his face approaching hers. Memories from the governor's party entered her mind and she quickly rolled off of Falcon, backing into a wall.

"Whoa, I mean no harm, honest." Falcon said kneeling before her with his hands up in surrender.

"I need to get to Dot's room." Sage said quickly before getting up and running for Dot's room, slamming the door behind her.

Falcon scratched his head in confusion before heading out to the deck to give his crew orders.

"Are you all right," Dot asked, putting down her brush after having finished with her hair, "you looked flushed. Has the fever come back?" She asked worriedly.

"No, it's your brother." Sage said with her hand over her heart. "I think he just tried to kiss me." She put her hand on her forehead then wiped it over her face.

"Really?" Dot jumped up from her chair excitedly. "Does this mean you two are going to be married? Oh, I finally get to have a sister." She clapped joyfully before hugging the air out of Sage.

"Calm down Dot. We aren't getting married." Sage said pointedly. "We hardly seem to like each other as it is. I'm just very confused." She said before taking a seat on Dot's bed.

"Well I don't know about you, but my brother adores you." Dot said happily.

"What?" Sage looked surprised.

"It may seem as though he doesn't like you, but that's only because you intimidate him." Dot said smartly. "I think he's scared of being rejected or something." Dot said as she picked up the brush and began brushing Sage's hair.

"You really think he likes me?" Sage asked to be sure.

"Definitely." Dot nodded enthusiastically.

"Humm." Sage twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she thought about all the consequences there would be if she were to be with Falcon. Seeing a large list forming in her mind, Sage decided to ignore the consequences and just enjoy the feeling of being liked by a handsome pirate.

* * *

.GD. 


	12. Chapter 12

Here you are with yet another chapter. I hope you all enjoy it very much.

* * *

The storm lasted through the night. Once they had past through the eye and were on the other side of the storm they had an easier time traveling with the high winds. By the time they had past through, the men were all exhausted and in need of tender love and care. 

Dot was the first to wake in her and Sage's little slumber party. She stretched then ventured out onto the deck in her full-length nightgown. She knew there was no more danger of flash title waves coming along to sweep her into the ocean for the ship was floating semi-calmly through the waters now.

Finally reaching outside, Dot was met with a disastrous sight. The main mast had a big crack down the middle. There were ropes and flanks of wood littering the deck every which way, and all the men looked a mess themselves.

"Come to help the clean up party, my dear?" Sam asked from beside Dot.

"I'm actually feeling quite tired still, I think I'll go back to bed for a few more hours." She said before trying to scurry back to her room.

"I don't think so." Sam said while grabbing onto her arm before she could escape. "We could use all the help we can get to shape this deck up. Why don't you go wake Sage and you both get dressed and come out here and help?" He asked politely.

"Oh, all right." Dot groaned before heading back to her room.

Back in Dot's room, Sage was just waking up. She sat up in bed and stretched out her arms, and then shivered in the cool morning atmosphere. Dot had lent her a nightgown to wear to bed that night but it was too thin to fend off the morning chill, so Sage bundled back into the feather down covers and closed her eyes contently.

"Wake up sleeping beauty." Dot called from her wardrobe closet. "The boys need help out on deck. That storm has us in a mighty wreck." She smiled over her shoulder miserably. "Unfortunately I made the blasted mistake of going out early, and now we've been recruited as clean up crew." She grimaced as she pulled on a pair of black slacks then a grey cotton shirt. She slipped on her boots then tied her belt on. "Come on, up." She said almost irritably as she pulled the warm covers from Sage, leaving Sage in a cold little ball.

"No fare." Sage moaned as her feet turned to ice immediately.

"Come now, we haven't got all day." Dot said returning to her wardrobe to pull out a plain grey dress she was sure had belonged to a maid before it had come on board with a large loot they had obtained only months before.

Sage grumbled something incoherent then got up and changed quickly, shivering all the while.

Once they were both dressed, they made their way out to the mess and began picking things up, putting some away, and throwing the rest overboard.

It took them most of the morning and well into the afternoon before the deck started looking its original self. They stopped for lunch then continued their repairs of their beloved ship.

Sage stood up and rubbed a sore patch on her back before wiping sweat from her brow then took a swig of water from a canteen Sam had brought her earlier that morning. She took a long look at the work they had accomplished, and then at the work they had yet to get done. She sighed heavily before throwing a small pile of unusable wood overboard. Looking around as she worked, Sage noticed Falcon and Sam talking up by the helm. Sam had a frown on his face and Falcon looked angry. There were large hand gestures and shouts before Falcon stormed off to his cabin.

Sage walked over to Sam to see if he was all right, noticing a look of hurt on his face.

"Sam, what's the matter?" Sage asked soothingly.

"Oh, nothing you need to be worrying about lass." Sam said smiling a bit to show he wasn't hurt, but Sage saw right through him.

"Sam." She said in a tone that clearly said 'spill it'.

"It's that bloody boy." Sam raised his voice. He was frustrated and anyone could see it. "He won't talk to me anymore. There's something the matter with him and he won't tell me what." Sam placed his hands on a banister and looked out into the black waters. "I've known that boy since he was a wee lad, and he's never had a problem telling me anything, but since he's been having those dreams, he's changed."

Sage didn't know what to say, so she placed a comforting hand on his back, smiling when he turned to smile back.

"I don't know him as well as you, but I'm sure he'll talk to you when he's good and ready." Sage offered.

"Aye, like I always say but seem incapable of remembering, it takes time." Sam smiled again in thanks then went back to clearing the deck.

Sage stayed up by the helm and just looked out at the sea. There was so much wonder in her life now, something she had always wished for, but now she wasn't quite sure if it was what she wanted. Was life always like this? Once you had something you wanted, you realize it isn't what it seems? She sighed then returned to work. Today was going to be a very long day.

Finally, around early evening the ship was completely cleared of all debris and partly repaired until they could make port. Sam had cooked warm chowder for dinner and the crew was enjoying it out on deck in the cool dusk air.

Sage and Dot sat in a faintly lit corner around a warm oil lamp, eating and chatting about girl-y things while the boys all sat around the main mast chatting about what it was the girls could possibly be talking about.

"I'm not used to this." Moose sighed. "I've never not known what a beautiful woman is talking about, because it's usually about me." He frowned then took another large scoop of soup from his wooden bowl.

"Well, at least Dot has a good friend to talk to now." Sam added, trying his hardest to lighten the tension.

"But, what if they're, you know, plotting?" Rickety asked.

"Yea, plotting." Ratch added stupidly.

"Plotting what?" Sam asked questioningly.

"I dunno, just plotting." Rickety said, scratching his head.

"Right." Sam shook his head before looking over at Falcon, who had decided to dine alone at the helm. Something was wrong and Sam knew it, but only time would tell. Sam shook his head again before re-entering the conversation with the rest of the crew.

When dinner was all done, Falcon had Moose head up to the crow's nest for a look out report.

"Land ho!" Moose yelled almost giddily.

"Land?" Sage asked excitedly.

"We must be nearing the Amazon connection!" Dot clapped happily. "Come on, lets go get you ready." She said eying the disaster of a grey dress Sage had worn to clean the deck, which was now ripped and dirty.

Dot took Sage back to the jungle room and opened her wardrobe, deciding on something to match the real jungle they would soon be entering, Dot pulled out a beautiful deep green full length skirt dress. She handed it to Sage who put it on, glad to be out of the grey mess.

"You look very pretty Sage." Dot said, her eyes shining with a hint of envy.

"Thank you Dot." Sage said, trying to tie the back up on her own. "Sorry, but I can't seem to do this on my own." Sage said smiling weakly as she handed over the built in corset cords to Dot.

Dot tightened the dress to Sage's dismay, as though she were one of the maids back home, with tightness that had Sage almost gasping until she was used to it.

"Thanks." She said once she was able to take in a full breath.

Dot said nothing and just stared at the finished product.

Sage stood beautifully in a full-length dress that was colored to match the green of an evergreen tree. It fit snugly all around her body and flowed out from the waist down in a light skirt. It surprised Sage at how light it was and easy to walk in. She smiled at the fancy black lace work there was in the bodice and at the cut off of the sleeves, which reached half way down her forearm. She felt like she was going to a dinner party back home instead of into the jungle with pirates.

"Oh Dot, it's absolutely lovely." Sage said happily. "But are you sure it's appropriate for the jungle?" She asked observing herself in the mirror.

"Oh, don't worry about that, we'll mostly be traveling along an ancient path." Dot explained. "It's been there for ever, and it's still in pretty good shape, mind you, the bridge is kind of iffy looking and there are always strange creatures about. It will be as if you were going for a walk in your pretty little port town."

"Do you know who constructed the path?" Sage asked while running her hand over the soft skirts.

"No, all we know is it has always been there." Dot sighed when Sage twirled in the dress. "I always liked that dress."

"Then why don't you ever wear it?" Sage asked.

"Because I don't look good in dresses." Dot said smiling and shaking her head.

"Don't look good in a dress?" Sage asked. "Who ever told you that?"

"No one, I just think so." Dot said picking up the hem of her shirt to pick at it.

"Dot, all girls look good in a dress." Sage gave Dot a stern look. "When this is all said and done, I'm going to get you in a dress and prove it to you." She smiled at Dot's terrified look. "Now, lets go out and see how close we are to said land." She hooked her arm through Dot's and they made their way out to the deck.

They were surprised to see how close they had gotten in such a short period of time.

Ten minutes later and they were loading the long boat for departure.

"I want a minimal amount of things brought, that means no pets Dot." Falcon ordered as he spotted Dot attaching a collar and leash to Ruby.

"Awe, come on Falcon." Dot pleaded but was ignored. "Sorry little one, I guess you'll just have to stay home today." She said looking into the sad tiger's eyes before taking the feline back to her room.

"I want weapons and water to be our first priority, then tents and other means of shelter, and then we load ourselves." Falcon ordered seriously as he watched the crew place pistols and their swords in the long boat. Water was then filled into canteens and then loaded. Falcon then gave the order to have it lowered to the water below, once it was, he had Dot and Sage loaded on first.

"Where are we?" Sage asked Sam as he helped her to climb down the side of the ship and into the boat.

"In the South, near the Amazon jungle." Sam said as he too placed his own sword in its sheath after a quick inspection. "Do you know where that is?"

Sage shook her head, no.

"It's in the south, way past the Panama Canal. It's a lovely warm place." Sam said eying the land a few miles ahead of them. "Mighty dangers though. There are all sorts of snakes and spiders that could kill you with one little bite, so mind yourself." He said seriously.

"It looks very tropical and green." Sage said looking at all the golden sand and trees in the distance, shuddering a bit at the aspect of danger in such a pretty place. "Uh, what is that smell?" Sage asked completely disgusted as a terrible scent assaulted her nose.

"That would be Skunk, and I told you you wouldn't want to meet him." Dot whispered, giggling under her breath.

Just above them a skinny young man pop his head out from a canon hole and smiled down at them with crooked yellow teethe. His nose was also crooked as though it had been broken one too many times and his hair was a tangled mess. His odor was so strong that Sage could smell him from all the way down in the boat.

"Why does he smell so bad?" Sage asked, covering her nose with one hand.

"He hasn't taken a bath in a very long time." Dot said, un-fazed by the smell.

"Why not?" Sage asked, disgusted.

"He's scared of water." Dot said simply.

"If he's afraid of water, what is he doing on a ship?" Sage asked giving Skunk a small wave as he was waving enthusiastically at her.

"He had no where else to go, besides he almost never sees the water anyway, he spends most of his time in the library, making maps and reading books." Dot looked up at Skunk with a big smile and waved. "That's why me brother brought him aboard, Skunk's a mighty fine map maker. Besides, once you get past the initial smell, he's not such a bad guy." Dot said grimacing a little.

Falcon was the last to climb down to the long boat. Once he was in he called up to Skunk.

"Make sure no one boards unless it is one of us." Falcon said sternly.

"Aye-aye captain!" Skunk said while sticking his arm out, bringing his hand up to his forehead in a salute before eying the water below wearily.

Falcon climbed to the front of the large rowboat then ordered to cast off. They would be on land within the hour.

* * *

.GD. 


	13. Chapter 13

I'm sorry it took a while to write this. I've become rather ill and I'm not really allowed to leave bed for very long and I don't have one of those portable computers, you know 'laptops', so it may take time for my next few chapters until I'm well again.

Enjoy.

* * *

It was a long row and very tiring to those who did the rowing, but they made it to shore with little more then strained muscles.

Falcon jumped from the long boat along with Rickety and Ratch, who pulled the boat up the sandy bank so that everyone else could jump out on dry land. As soon as everyone was on land they set about setting up camp for the night.

"I want a large fire built right away, it's impossible to see anything in this dark." Sam ordered of Moose and Ratch as they were already collecting firewood. "Dot, take Sage back to the boat and fetch your tent." He said then went to help Rickety set up the gent's tents.

Dot smiled at Sage then took her hand and led her back to the boat to get a large piece of leather and some finely finished wooden rods.

"Have you ever built a tent before?" Dot asked as she unfolded the soft animal skin.

"No, I'm afraid I've never had the pleasure of sleeping outside." Sage grimace at the idea.

"Well you're in for a treat." Dot pulled on a ball of string then got right to tying the wooden rods together. Once she had two sets of rods tide together to create two triangle shaped arches, Dot and Sage stuck them both in the ground then placed a fourth piece across the top of them. After that was finished Dot pulled out a fifth rod, which was cut like a 'Y' at the top. She wedged it in the middle of the long horizontal rod lying on the top then tied them all up with left over strings until she was satisfied and sure it would all stay in place.

"That was quite easy." Sage said a little surprised at how much fun 'camping' was turning out to be.

"Now for the cover." Dot picked up the leather cover and threw it over the frame they had built. She took another small ball of strings and proceeded to tie the leather to the wood frame. "There, home sweet home." Dot said happily.

"How about we go closer to the fire now, just to warm up a bit before bed." Sage suggested, covering a yawn with her hands.

"Good idea." Dot said eying a delicious looking pineapple the boys were roasting above the now roaring fire.

"How was it Sage?" Sam asked turning the spit that held the browning fruit.

"How was what?" Sage asked hugging her arms to her body as the fire began to warm her.

"Setting a tent? I assume it was your first time." Sam said smiling at her blush.

"It is true that was my first tent. All of this has been a first for me. The sailing, the storm, the company," Sage looked around at the now familiar faces sitting around the cozy fire, "and the adventure of it all." She smiled at Dot and her happy laugh. "I still miss my family terribly, and I know they worry for me every minute I'm gone from them, but part of me can't help but enjoy being here, away from the expectations and responsibilities. A part of me is enjoying very much the freedom." Sage smiled warmly at everyone around the fire, except Falcon who was looking away from everyone else.

"I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yourself. Don't fret for your family though, you'll see them as soon as we've figured out what it is the witch needs." Sam said, patting Sage on the knee. "Now, who wants roasted pineapple?" Sam asked and every hand save for Sage and Falcon's went up.

"I'll be back." Falcon said coldly as he pushed up from his seat on a piece of drift wood and started to walk down the beach away from the fire and into the dark.

Sam watched his dear friend leaving and frowned.

"Excuse me for a moment." Sage said to Dot before running after Falcon. "Wait!" She called as she neared him.

"I said I'd be back, why can't you leave me be." Falcon spat angrily.

"What is wrong with you?" Sage asked irritably, taking hold of his right arm.

"Nothing now let me go." Falcon glared daggers at her and looked surprised when she backed away from him with a look of fear.

Sage took a total of two steps back before clearing her throat and putting on a face of determination. "I haven't known you long, but long enough to know this isn't you at all." Sage said calmly.

"You're right, you haven't known me long enough." Falcon said before turning and walking again.

"Will you stop!" Sage yelled before jogging in front of him to stop him with her own body.

Falcon stared down at her with no emotion, only cold blank eyes that made Sage shiver.

"There are people over there who love you, truly love you and are worried about you." Sage said pointing behind him to the fire and the people in the distance. "You took me away from the people who loved me, so I had no choice, but if I did it wouldn't be to turn from them when I need them most." She said accusingly.

Falcon's eyes softened a bit before he spoke. "Are you done?" He asked plainly.

Sage just looked at him sadly. "Yes." She looked down as he walked past her and continued his brooding walk. All thoughts of him ever having feelings for her or any feelings at all were forgotten as she walked in the opposite direction back to the fire.

Once Sage had returned to the fire she told Dot that she wasn't feeling so well and made for their tent. She rolled out the rough bamboo mats then pulled out the scratchy brown wool blankets and curled into a ball beneath them. Her eyes were still wide open when Dot finally came in and they remained open for many more hours until boredom and sheer will power let her sleep.

The following morning was unexpectedly chilly. Sage woke due to her toes turning to ice cubes.

Sage sat up on her bamboo mat and pulled the wool cover around her tightly.

"Dot." She leaned over and gave Dot a light shove. "Eh, Dot, wake up." She said louder, shoving Dot even harder.

"What, why, where are the frogs?" Dot asked groggily.

"What?" Sage laughed. "There are no frogs, it was just a dream. Come on lets go get some breakfast." Sage said as she stood in a crouch at the opening of the tent.

Sage got out and stretched, rubbed her eyes then looked around to see the sky was covered in dark clouds covering any hint of sunshine and a fog covered camp with no fire and the boys still sleeping.

"Boys." She said while shrugging. "Come on Dot, it looks like it's up to us to get the fire started." Sage said as Dot climbed out of the tent, still wiping sleep from her eyes.

"All right, all right, I'm up aren't, now would you please give me back my boots, It's freezing." Dot said as she hopped from on foot to the other.

"I don't have your--" Sage broke off as she looked down and noticed her footwear was missing too. "What's going on?" She asked while whirling around to face Dot.

"I don't know but it's bloody freezing." Dot began to shiver and her breath came out in clear cloudy puffs as she spoke.

"How is this so, we're in a tropical environment. It's supposed to be hot." Sage said as she rubbed her hands together and blew on them.

Sage and Dot walked quickly over to Sam's tent and peeped their head in, hoping to catch him awake, but he wasn't there.

"Maybe he went to get fire wood?" Dot suggested.

Sage almost thought so until she looked over to the now extinguished fire and noticed their supply of wood was plenty enough.

"I don't think so Dot." She said then walked over to Moose's tent and was disappointed to see that he wasn't there. "Where is everyone?" She asked the cold foggy air as worry began to prick it's way up her spine.

"Rickety and Ratch aren't here either." Dot called from their tent.

Sage looked around from tent to tent but saw no sign of movement.

"I'm bloody pissed now." Dot said angrily. "They've taken our boots and run off like it's some game to them. I swear when I get my hands on them I'm going to…"

"Wait, what's that?" Sage asked as she squinted her eyes and looked down the beach at a moving shadow.

It wasn't long before that moving shadow stepped through the fog, took shape and became the solid form of Falcon.

"All right mister, where did you put them?" Dot asked while jamming a finger into her brother's chest.

"Put what?" He looked over his sister's head and gave Sage a questioning stare.

"My boots you blood prick, it's freezing, I need them back, now give them to me." She all but wailed like an infant for her warm leather boots.

"I don't have your sodding boots." Falcon said as he looked around at the ghost camp. "Where is everyone?" He asked, noticing a lack of fire and crew mates.

"That's what we'd like to know." Sage said, not meeting Falcon's eyes.

"They weren't here when we woke up, and neither were our boots." Dot exclaimed throwing her arms to the heavens and storming off to her tent.

"No one was here when you two woke up?" Falcon asked, his attention now on Sage.

"No. We were completely alone when we woke, and as Dot has said already, our boots were gone." Sage said, still not allowing her eyes to meet his.

"Right." Falcon sighed before going to his tent.

Sage finally turned to look at him and watched as he disappeared into his tent. She turned and walked back to her own tent and found Dot cutting up her wool blanket with her dagger.

"What are you doing?" She asked, noticing many tattered pieces of already cut wool.

"Making boots." Dot said as she put her foot in the middle of a rather large piece of wool blanket then pulled the sides up her ankle, holding it in place with one hand then tying it up with a piece of string she undoubtedly took off the tent. She repeated the action on the other foot then stood smiling. "There, no more frosty toes." She said while wiggling her toes for good measure. "Would you like me to make you a pair?" She asked as Sage laughed quietly by the exit.

"No, that's quite all right. My feet have gotten used to the cold already." She assured Dot.

"Right, shall we go back out and see what my brother is up to?" Dot said, sheathing her dagger just above the hem of her short pants and out of sight.

Sage nodded then followed as Dot wandered back to the burnt ash in the center of a circle of large stones that used to be the fire, where Falcon now sat sharpening his cutlass.

"It was the Amazons." Falcon said sharply.

"Are you sure?" Dot asked.

"They left you didn't they?" He said looking irritably at his sister.

"Okay, okay, so it was the Amazons. What do we do about it?" She asked as though it was a simple matter of fetching a doll back from a bratty older brother.

"We'll follow their trail, and figure out a way of getting the crew out of their camp alive and undetected." Falcon said, sharpening his sword rougher with each stroke.

Dot nodded in agreement.

"Hold on a minute." Sage said, standing in front of the two siblings with her hands palm out in front of her in a gesture to stop them from talking. "What are Amazons and what do they want with the crew?" She asked.

"We're talking about Amazon warriors." Dot said with a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"They are women of the jungle. Fierce warriors who believe this land and all of it covered in trees is theirs. They capture any unsuspecting person who may be caught unawares in these trees, mostly men, and take them back to their camp. They enslave them or hold tournaments where they fight the men. There was on odd time when a man managed to knock one of the Amazons down, but he still died in the end. They hate men. There is not a single one in their tribe that isn't a slave or dead." Falcon ended his tale with a sharp grin that had Sage's knees weakening a bit. "That is why you and Dot were left untouched while the rest of my crew were taken." He said before throwing down his sharpening rock and sheathing his cutlass.

"And we are to venture to their base and just walk right in and rescue the crew?" Sage asked a little shaken.

"Well, yeah." Falcon said as he tied a dagger to his leg then hooked his belt around his waist.

"But if they take men, then why weren't you taken?" Sage asked.

"I wasn't here last night." Falcon said, his face dropping to a shallow frown. "I slept down the beach." He said before brushing past her. "Oh, and you won't be going into the jungle in that." He said, smirking again as he pointed to Sage's dress.

"Dot said there would be no trouble, that there was a path." Sage said playing with the end of her skirts.

"Not where we're going." Falcon said. "Dot, go into Moose's tent, find Sage something fitting for a walk in the jungle, she looks about his size." He smiled at Sage's outraged expression as he went to the longboat to grab some water canteens.

Dot found a pair of faded red short pants and a thin white cotton shirt along with a worn brown vest.

"Here, they might be a bit big, but it's the best I could find." Dot said handing the clothes to Sage before helping to untie the dress and leaving her to get dressed.

"How long does it take a girl to change?" Falcon asked as he threw yet another stone into the crashing waves as he and Dot sat on the shore, waiting for Sage to come out of Moose's tent.

"Give her a minute will you, dresses are fickle things." Dot said, throwing her own stone into the foamy waves.

"I don't care, this is taking too bloody long, I'm going to go get her if she's ready or not." Falcon said as he stood and made his way over to the tent. He pulled the leather flap back and was about to yell something about slow as a sloth when all the breath in his body left him.

Sage was standing in the red short pants with her back to the doorway and was just about to pull the shirt on when she felt a cool breeze brush against her back. She turned slowly and screamed, holding the shirt tight against her chest as she saw Falcon gapping at her.

"What in bloody hell are you doing?" She said breathlessly, her chest heaving as a red blush spread over her cheeks.

Falcon just stood with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

"Get out!" Sage yelled.

"Right." Falcon breathed before backing away from the tent very slowly.

"Was she ready, or not?" Dot asked, giggling madly beside her pale brother.

"Shut up." Falcon said before giving his sister a light shove.

"Come on Sage." Dot called with her hands around her mouth like cone to enhance the volume.

Sage stepped out of the tent wearing the pants low on her waist, due to them being loose fitting and the cotton shirt was a bit big under the fitting vest, but it was comfortable enough and better then the dress when it came to a walk in the trees.

"There, all ready, now lets get a move on before our crew becomes nothing more then a bunch of heads on spikes." Dot said while smiling as if it were a joke.

Sage glared at Falcon before following Dot towards the trees.

"They were dragged in through here." Falcon crouched down to inspect the sand that met with the green of the jungle floor. "Most likely they were unconscious. It's a good thing too because it left us an easy trail to follow." Falcon said as the girls looked at the trail of dragged sand, dirt and brush into the jungle. "I'll lead, Dot I want you in the back and since you've no weapon I want you to stay in between us." Falcon spoke flatly to Sage.

She only nodded before following Falcon into the cold dark jungle and away from the cold dark beach.

* * *

.GD. 


	14. Chapter 14

I had time enough to write this one quickly before I got in trouble for being out of bed. I didn't have a lot of time to read over it before posting so sorry if there are many mistakes.

Enjoy.

* * *

James Edwards stood tall and strong at the helm of his ship. His crew was scurrying about on deck making sure everything was tied right and clean while his first mate Dominick was busy behind him plotting course after course of possible areas they had not yet searched. James could all but see the guilt running off of Dominick's skin. 

"Why don't you go down and get some rest, Dom." James laid a strong hand on his friends shoulder.

Dominick shuddered at the contact and looked up at James with exhausted red eyes.

"I'm fine." He stated before taking a sip from his personal supply of whiskey.

"It will take more then maps and whiskey to retrieve my sister. You need rest." James said in a pitying voice. "Don't make me order you to go." He looked seriously at Dominick.

"You will wake me if there is anything?" He asked as James helped him to his shaky feet.

"You have my word." James said as he gestured for a sailor to help Dominick to his cabin. "Make sure he is in bed before you leave him." James whispered to the sailor.

"Aye captain." He nodded courtly before taking on most of Dominick's weight as he slumped weakly to one side.

James ran a hand over his face and let out a frustrated breath as he looked over the maps Dominick had been working on. They had searched all over the coasts of the South and still no sign of the ship he learned to be called the Widow Maker.

"Where are you?" He asked no one.

Twenty miles north from James and his small fleet, but still on the same coast was the camp that held empty tents and an over turned longboat. Five more miles inland was a group of three young people making their way through a riddle of vines, trees and undergrowth on the jungle floor.

"How much further do you suppose we must travel?" Sage asked out of breath.

"Much farther." Falcon said with one backward glance.

"Great." Sage frown as she kicked at a fallen branch, then screamed when it coiled and began to hiss.

"Don't move!" Falcon ordered as he held his hands up to gesture for his sister to back slowly away from Sage.

"Oh my god, a snake." Sage whispered as the snake slithered slowly towards her.

"Don't move." Falcon said again only more quite.

"Do I bloody look like I'm moving?" Sage whispered harshly as the snake slithered over her feet.

Its body was thick and more then half of it was still invisible under the undergrowth of the jungle floor.

"It's an anaconda." Dot whispered. "Young one still, it isn't full grown. I'd say it just hatched maybe a week ago?" She finished before giving Sage a pitying look as the snake started up her leg.

"I don't care how old it is, just get it off me." Sage squirmed a bit earning a tightening sensation up her leg from the snake.

"Don't move it will only hurt you more." Falcon said as he looked around for anything that might help.

Dot looked down at her right side and found a hook shaped branch that had fallen from a tree and picked it up.

"Try this." She called to Falcon before throwing it over Sage and to Falcon's open hand.

"I need you to stay as still as possible, all right?" Falcon asked quietly as he very slowly approached Sage.

"Mhmm." Sage nodded slowly, wincing and tearing at the rim of her eyes as the beast tightened around her abdomen now.

"Okay, here goes." Falcon slowly maneuvered the hook side of the sturdy branch under the snake's jaw and let out a shaky breath when the snake acted as though nothing was happening. He started to slowly pull its head away from Sage's body when it began to hiss loudly.

"Slower Falcon." Dot warned.

"Please, don't let it crush me." Sage whispered looking into Falcon's eyes with tears running down her pained face.

Falcon stopped for a moment to look into her eyes, wordlessly promising her he would do his best. Then he slowly pulling it away again, this time when it was far enough away he reached out and took hold of it's neck, just below the jaw. When Sage let out a cry of pain Falcon pulled out his dagger and sliced through the smooth scaly skin, decapitating the snake in an instant. The body loosened and dropped to the floor like a fallen bundle of thick rope.

Sage brought her arms around her body and coughed as breath made its way back into her lungs.

"Are you all right?" Falcon asked as he kicked the limp carcass to the side to get closer.

"I think there might be bruising, but other then that I should be fine." Sage said as she pushed the vest back and lifted the hem of her shirt to see bruises already forming.

Falcon reached out slowly and ran his hand over the tender area where little white scares were in place of the cuts she had weathered on her way to his ship for the first time.

Sage jumped a bit at the feel of his cool hands on her bare skin but calmed when she saw the look in is eyes was a friendly one.

"We should get moving." Falcon spoke quietly to Sage.

"Yes, the crew need our help." Sage whispered as Falcon took a small step closer to her.

Dot stood to the side with her hands on her hips and just rolled her eyes at the pair. "Or you two could get a bloody room." She finally spoke up, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Falcon and Sage both shook their heads clear and looked over at her. Sage smiled while Falcon frowned before taking a step in retreat.

"We need to keep going." He said before clearing his throat and turning to continue through the vines and trees.

Sage smoothed her shirtfront down then pulled the vest tightly around her before following Falcon on through the jungle maze.

"Oi, Falcon!" Dot called from behind Sage.

"We don't have time to keep stopping Dot." Falcon turned patiently.

"Just thought you'd like to know, the trail stopped a couple feet ago." Dot looked down at the unmarked ground at her feet then back up at her brother.

"What?" Falcon looked down then around for any sign of the path they were following. "Damn it!" He swore as he kicked a rather large rock into the trees.

"They must have covered their tracks." Dot said as she pulled up loose bushes and leaves for any hint as to where they went next.

"What do we do now?" Sage asked as she pulled out a bothersome thorn from the bottom of her foot.

"We keep going until we pick up another trail." Falcon said before he dropped unceremoniously on his face.

"Falcon!" Dot screamed rolling him over onto his back. "Falcon, wake up!" She pleaded, but there was no answer. "What's wrong with him?" Dot asked blindly as tears clouded her vision.

"I don't know." Sage said as she pulled something sharp and feathered out of his neck.

"Oh, no." Dot whispered as she looked upon the poison dart in Sage's hand. "Sage, run!"

"What is it?" Sage asked, but was unanswered as Dot too fell unconscious. "Dot!" Sage found a similar dart in the back of Dot's neck.

Sage reached over and pulled out Dot's hidden Dagger and crouched low near the sleeping bodies. She was about to reach over for Falcon's gun when a feathered dart flew past her hand and hit a tree. Sage's head shot up lightning fast and she was able to catch a glimpse of long black hair retreat behind a large cocoa tree. She quickly stood and began to run, as Dot told her, in the opposite direction.

There were footsteps just behind her, she could almost feel them on her heals. There was more then one now, at least five she guessed. They were shouting after her in a tongue she couldn't understand, and didn't care to get close enough to try. All Sage could do was run as fast and far away from them as possible.

Almost completely out of breath, Sage came to a clearing. It felt more like a cave with tall lanky trees covered in vines and leaves surrounding her everywhere. She could feel sharp pains in her feet and knew they were cut and bleeding from all the jungle debris she must have run over in her haste. Turning quickly, Sage noted that there was nothing and no one behind her anymore. She quickly limped over to the other side of the small clearing and screamed as a dark creature fell from the trees before her. She backed away quickly and turned to run back the other way but was blocked by yet another dark creature.

"What are you?" She shouted through tears of frustration as all five of the things that were chasing her circle around her as though she was their prey.

The tallest of the pack stepped forward and started speaking in the indistinguishable tongue Sage heard earlier. She used hand gestures and spoke quickly with a voice of authority, obviously the leader of this party.

Sage stood dumbfounded on shaky legs as she listening to gibberish emitting from a masked jungle person.

"I-don't-understand-what-you-are-saying." Sage spoke every word slowly and clearly, hoping to god they could understand some English.

The tall one looked from side to side at her group before looking back at Sage and lifting her large wooden mask away. Sage gasped as she now looked into the eyes of a beautiful dark Amazonian woman's eyes.

"Why are you here?" She asked Sage in a deep yet smooth voice with an accent that Sage had never heard before.

"I…I'm looking for my friends." She looked around at all the rest of the masked creatures and noticed they were all dressed similarly in small pieces of leather cloth covering there least modest areas and leaving everything else exposed. Sage also noticed they were all wearing finely tailored leather boots, and one of them was even wearing hers.

"Hey, those are mine." Sage said as she took one step towards the Amazon wearing her boots. In an instant Sage had five spears pointed at her throat. The warrior to the right of the leader took her mask off and threw it to the side and sneered at Sage. "Fine, she can have them." She held her hands up in retreat.

"What purpose do you and your friends have in the Amazon?" The leader spoke again.

"We were headed to the witch in the swamp." Sage said still eying her boots and the masked woman who wore them.

At her mention of the witch, all the jungle warriors began to speak amongst themselves in their tongue. Finally after a much argued discussion between the leader and the woman standing to her right, who appeared quite angry, the tall dark Amazon nodded to Sage and spoke. "You are now our prisoner, we will be taking you to our camp where you shall go through a trial." She said before signaling for the other three women to leave.

Sage stood still for a moment before being painfully shoved into movement by the angry right hand Amazon. She was just as beautiful as the leader with long brown hair, light brown eyes and deeply tan skin. Sage wondered why they had such trouble with men.

"Keep moving." She shoved Sage again even harder.

"Ouch, stop that." Sage held her sore shoulder while glaring at her assailant.

"Or what, you'll kick and scream until you faint?" She teased before pushing Sage down into a thick puddle of mud.

"Kashka, that is enough." The leader warned.

"Pesaroso, Léunia." She bowed her head in apology before pulling Sage out of the mud. "You're lucky." She whispered harshly so that only Sage could hear.

They marched for half and hour before the leader, Léunia, held up her hand in a signal to halt Sage and Kashka. She stood in front of a tall wall of vines and leaves and began to say something in her language.

Sage stood in wonder as the wall of vines began to slowly swing open.

Kashka pushed her until they were inside then the huge wooden doors closed behind them and Sage found herself trapped in a jungle fort of tree houses and leather tents. There were old wooden carts and leather booths set up as shops. Léunia and Kashka led her through tents and trees and through a path laid out in stone. Straight ahead of them was a huge tree and a large staircase that led up to fairly sized tree house.

"This is the Queens home." Léunia spoke quickly as they walked towards the stairs. "She will determine weather you live or die." She sounded deathly serious which worried Sage.

Just behind her, Sage could hear Kashka laughing and frowned as they made their way up the stairs.

At the top was another large set of doors flanked by two strong looking guards. The doors opened as the three approached and Sage was met with the sight of a large room covered in silks and cloth. There were over sized pillows here and there and some of them held women who were sitting and speaking to each other. There was a long red carpet down the middle of the room that led to a large and very comfortable looking thrown at the far end. Sitting on the thrown was an elegant and fierce woman with lots of curly gold hair and dark blue eyes. She wore leather like the other girls but was more covered and very decorated with beads and jewels and feathers in her hair and on her crown.

Sage swallowed hard when they got closer to her. She stared into Sage's eyes with cool contemplation. Léunia and Kashka got down on one knee when they stopped before the thrown and Kashka pulled Sage down to do the same.

The queen signaled for them to rise and began to speak with Léunia in the language Sage could not understand.

Léunia pointed at Sage then back towards the doors. The queen held her hand up for her to be silent and she obeyed.

"You seek the lady of the swamps?" She asked Sage.

Sage nodded quickly.

"And you also seek your friends?" She got up and began to step down the few steps that held the thrown.

Sage nodded again.

"You are very pretty." The queen said as she ran a hand over Sage's left cheek.

"Thank you." Sage stuttered and cursed herself for it.

"And you travel with men I've been told." The queen looked to Léunia who nodded.

"Yes, I do." Sage said as she bravely looked up into the eyes of the Queen.

"And you love these men?" The queen asked.

"Yes." Sage began to shake, fearful the crew was already dead.

"I see." The queen turned and went back up to her thrown. She said something to the girl still masked and standing at the right side of the thrown, the same girl, Sage noticed, who stole her boots. "Kashka, go with Lilia and take the prisoner to the cell where we hold the other girl. Help Lilia prepare her for torneio tonight." The queen smiled wickedly at Sage before Sage was turned and escorted out of the room and brought down to a bamboo cell in a dark corner of the enclosed camp.

"Someone will be back to prepare you." Kashka said before slamming the door shut and tying it off. A guard took place in front of the door to watch over Sage. Sage watched the girl wearing her boots shake her head gravely before turning to follow Kashka.

Sage turned when she heard something behind her moan. "Dot?" She almost cried in relief as she fell down beside Dot and took her face in her hands.

"Ouch." Dot said as she brought a hand up to her neck.

"Oh, Dot." Sage hugged Dot tightly.

"All right, enough bear hugs, it hurts still." Dot moaned as Sage squeezed her.

"Sorry, I'm just so glad you're all right." Sage smiled warmly as Dot sat up on her own.

"Where are we?" She asked as she looked around at bars of bamboo.

"The Amazons have us in their camp." Sage said as she walked over to one side and put her fingers around the bars and stared out at the camp.

"We're in their camp?" Dot asked unbelievably. "Where are the boys?" She asked noticing a lack of the male gender in their cage.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling they're still alive." Sage said while taking Dots hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

By night fall, Dot and Sage had tried three times to escape the cage, and each time earned them a painful shoved back into the cage and a crazed jungle woman yelling at them. The camp had become dark with the night and torches were being lit everywhere for warmth and light.

Sage was about to get up and ask the guard if she could use the bathroom, hers and Dots last attempt of escape, when Kashka returned with a petite blond woman who looked a lot like the queen.

"Bring the senhora." Kashka eyed Sage up and down as the guard opened the door.

The guard came in and pulled Sage up, grabbing her hair and yanking it back making Sage look up into her eyes. "No escaping now." She laughed.

Dot and Sage's hands were bound by rope then attached and pulled together to a tent not far from their cage.

"Take the little one to the prisoners box." Kashka ordered the guard.

"Sage." Dot whimpered as she was separated from Sage and led away at the point end of a spear.

Sage watched as Dot disappeared through the tent flaps then turned back around when she felt hands unbuttoning her vest.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked as two girls began to undress her.

"They are getting you out of those disgusting mans clothing and putting you into something you can fight in." Kashka said as she stood with her hands on her hips.

"Fight in?" Sage asked as the girls removed the rope from her hands and took her vest away.

"Yes, you will be fighting tonight, in the arena." Kashka said as voices began to grow louder outside. "Everyone will watch as you fight me," She said proudly, "and fail."

Sage looked angrily at the woman's assumption that she couldn't fight. She then threw her hands round herself to cover herself up when all of her clothes were removed.

Kashka rolled her eyes then turned to the blond queen look-a-like. "Lilia, give this princess something to wear, I must go prepare myself." She said before leaving.

Sage looked down for an instant and recognized her boots on Lilia's feet.

"Why am I fighting?" She asked the girl.

"Do you ever want to see your men again?" She asked with broken English and a deep accent like the queens.

"Yes." Sage swallowed hard.

"Then you will fight." She said as she handed Sage two pieces of leather.

Sage took the two pieces of cloth and, with great difficulty, put them on.

"Is this all?" Sage asked as she looked down and saw her entire stomach was exposed along with most of her legs.

"Yes." Lilia said as she tied strings of beads and a hawk feather into Sage's hair. "The beads are for luck, and the feather is for agility and speed." She explained as she and the other two girls finished with Sage's hair.

Sage stood uncomfortably still and tried her hardest to pull the tiny leather skirt down without pulling it too far. It covered here well enough but it was nothing like she was used to. The top was something completely different. It was a small piece of leather that covered her breasts but her stomach was completely exposed.

She smiled awkwardly when Lilia handed her a wooden spear.

"You are ready." She said before making to leave. The two other girls bowed as she made for the door.

"Wait!" Sage called as she ran over to her. "I don't know how to fight." She trembled.

Lilia just gave her a sad look before leaving her alone.

Out in the arena the queen made her way into what resembled a royal seating box. Léunia sat at her left and Lilia sat at her right. There were a hand full of warriors sitting in a row just below them on benches and two guards flanking each side of the seats. All around the arena were beautiful women all dressed in leather pieces of cloth, painted faces for the festivities, and cheering for the activities to commence.

The queen made a hand signal and a large covered box was brought out to the side. Then she asked for silence and the place went dead.

"Tonight a girl will fight our most prized warrior for a chance at winning back which she has lost." Cheers came full force again and quieted as she queen continued. "She comes from a land over the sea, and speaks with a foreign voice." The queen pointed to an archway at one side of the arena where Sage was pulled out into view by her hands, which were bound by rope again.

The cheering was so loud Sage couldn't believe her ears. They were all there to watch her die, she thought.

"And to fight her will be Kashka." The cheers were louder now, with whistles and catcalls from the audience as Kashka walked into the arena already armed with a spear.

"Approach." The queen ordered and Sage was forcefully pulled towards the royal box. "Tonight you fight for your men." She looked straight into Sage's eyes with a look of disgust. "Her prize, should she win against our trained and seasoned soldier is this." The queen pointed to the box and the cover was removed to show all of the crew, still alive, trying their hardest to break the bars of the cage. "Should she lose, these men will be our prizes to share." She queen looked to her people and saw a lot of happy faces. "The match will begin at the sound of the drum." She said and the contestants were placed at either side of the arena, Sage's bindings were removed and she was given her spear.

Sage looked over at the crew and saw rather then heard them yelling at her, Sam pointing at the exit begging her to run, Falcon just stood there staring at her with a look of anguish on his face. She looked up now to the clear night sky and prayed that she would be strong enough for them all and live to see the sun rising.

* * *

.GD. 


	15. Chapter 15

Fights are always hard to write so I hope I did this one justice.

Enjoy.

* * *

The arena was lit by hundreds of torches. There was a drum beat and there was shouting and cheers from all around, but all Sage could hear was the pounding of her heart. They were in the center of the arena circling each other with their spears at the ready. Sage wished for a sword in her hands, but had to make due with what was given to her.

Kashka was taking small steps closer with each circle she made. Soon she was close enough for Sage to hear when she spoke.

"You're going to wish you had never entered this jungle." She sneered as she jabbed her spear forward enough to knock the end of Sage's.

"You think I can't fight?" Sage went for a tough looked but came up looking distressed.

"I think you can't even fight off a simple cold." Kashka laughed swinging her spear at Sage hard enough to knock her back.

There was an eruption of cheers as Sage stumbled back.

She grit her teethe and began to look around for something to help her in the advantage. All around the edge of the arena were weapons that looked like they were used in previous battles. There were bloodied axes and swords, which gave Sage a small glimmer of hope. If she could only make it past Kashka and to the other side of the sandy arena floor she could take a sword and have a better chance in her hands.

Sage looked up just as Kashka was about to jab the pointed end of her spear into Sage's thigh so Sage quickly jumped back and came out with a shallow cut on her thigh just above her left knee.

She let out a loud cry as blood began to slide down her leg. There were more cheers and whistles as Kashka turned and waved to the crowd, happy with herself for causing her rival pain.

Behind Sage the crew were all yelling in anger and frustration as they watched her fight for her life.

"We have to do something." Moose yelled, banging his fists on the bars of the cage.

"What can we do?" Falcon asked angrily as he watched Sage dodge another blow directed at her right shoulder. "Nothing. All we can do is watch and hope she knows what she's doing." He said plainly as he watched Sage fall to her hands and knees after Kashka checked her in the back with the spear held horizontally in both her hands.

Sage was finally on the right side of the arena. After Kashka had checked her to the ground Sage saw the advantage and stood, backing away towards the swords and axes. She blocked a blow from the left then surprised herself by bringing her leg up to kick Kashka's spear away.

"You're not as bad as I thought." Kashka commented a little disbelievingly. She thrust her spear forward and was even more surprised to feel it being kicked down and snapped in half by Sage stepping down on it forcefully breaking it in two. "Not bad at all." She said almost angrily now.

Sage's chest heaved up and down as breath came in fast only to leave just as fast. "Never judge a book before reading it." Sage spat out a bit of blood that had collected in her mouth and wiped away sweat from her eyes. She threw her own spear down and picked up the sword lying behind her feet.

Kashka let out a half laugh before springing back into a line of back flips until she was on the other side of the arena where a warrior from the stands past her a freshly sharpened two headed battleaxe.

Sage gulped in as much breath as she could before making her way back to the center of the field of sand. She took into account that her leg was loosing strength due to the bleeding and possible infection and her left shoulder was a little tender from the back check, but all in all she still felt a lot of fight in her. She watched as Kashka expertly flipped the axe around her hands as though she was born holding one.

"This is going to hurt." She said to herself as she braced herself for the first blow.

The cheering was louder then before as metal hit metal with Kashka's axe coming down on Sage's block. She held her sword strong with tense arms as Kashka leaned forward.

"Where does a lady like you learn to fight?" She asked Sage angrily.

"My brother is in the royal navy." Sage grunted as she used her upper body strength to push Kashka back. "He taught me all I know." She said as she flipped her sword around, mockingly.

Their weapons met again, this time Sage used her free hand to punch Kashka hard in the stomach.

"My brother isn't always a clean fighter." Sage smiled as Kashka stumbled back rubbing her sore belly.

Kashka yelled before swinging from the side with the axe and knocking the sword down, but Sage was quick to bring it back up and catch Kashka a little off guard cutting a long shallow line down her left arm.

Kashka screamed as she dropped her axe and grabbed her arm.

"Done are we?" Sage asked her with a triumphant smile on her face.

"Not even close." Kashka spat before using her left leg to kick Sage's sword from her hand.

Sage gasped with wide eyes as she saw Kashka's foot come back up to kick her in the stomach. Sage went down with a thud and was pinned down as Kashka began to punch her with the strength in her good arm. She blocked one blow and was able to reach up and squeeze Kashka's bad arm, giving her time to reverse the position so that she was on top. She brought her fist down into her opponent's cheek twice before reaching over for a piece of the broken spear and ended the little tournament with the sharp splintered end pointed directly at Kashka's throat.

"Done now?" Sage asked as Kashka looked up at her with a venomous glare.

She nodded with disappointment knowing that she had lost, but relieved that Sage didn't use the weapon to end her.

"Well done." The queen clapped and the entire stadium followed suit.

The crew cheered happily, all of them with astonished looks on their faces.

The queen along with Lilia, Léunia and a few other warriors came down to the center of the arena. She took hold of Sage's arm and held it up for all to see. "Our champion." The crowd went wild.

Kashka weakly helped herself to her feet. "My queen I have failed you." She bowed before the queen.

"You have." The queen said with less then a glance.

Kashka looked up miserably before backing away and leaving the arena.

"You fought with the skill and grace that we train our warriors in. Would you stay and become part of our tribe?" The queen asked loud enough for the entire stadium to hear.

"Thank you very much, your majesty." Sage bowed awkwardly as her leg throbbed. "But the crew and I really need to finish our journey." She looked up at the queen expecting an angry glare but was met with a thoughtful look.

"Very well, but know you are always welcome here, even if you do stay in the company of men." She said testily as she looked over at the cage.

"Thank you." Sage said again as the queen gave the signal to let the prisoners go.

They all rushed out towards Sage each giving her a hug or congratulatory pat on the back.

"She did it Falcon." Dot threw her arms around her brother, holding in tears of relief.

"Yes, she did." He said as he stared long and hard at the girl who seemed to amaze him with every turn.

"I invite you all to our feast tonight, and then when it is all done I will have my sister, the princess Lilia guide you to the swamps." The queen offered as many of the Amazons left the stadium to prepare for the party.

"Thank you your majesty." Falcon spoke up, receiving deathly glares from some of the remaining warriors.

"You're only lucky your women know how to fight, or you would be on the menu tonight." She said as she past him with a large smile on her face.

Falcon looked over and saw the men all shrink back towards Sage as the queen and her entourage left the stadium leaving them with a hand full of guards to tend to them.

"Come, we will have your wounds dealt with." Léunia said easily as she gestured for Sage to be helped.

They took her to a large tent where she was placed on a wooden bed and given something that made her mind go fogy. Falcon argued with one of the guards outside but managed to go in with her and remained by her side as one of the tribes women cleaned the cut on Sage's leg and began to sewed it up with fine yet sturdy silk thread.

Sage hissed as more alcohol was poured on the cut.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Falcon asked as he took her hand and felt her squeeze hard.

"Not so much. It just doesn't feel very pleasant." She winced as the needle went through her skin then back out again.

"You fought well." Falcon tried to take her mind off of the matter. "Where did you learn to use a sword like that?" He asked.

"My brother taught me." Sage smiled before bighting back a scream.

"Hey, stay with me." Falcon said as Sage's head lolled to one side and her eyes rolled up into her head. "Here now, stay here." He spoke softly as he gently pat her cheek.

Sage came back around and looked up at him with tired eyes.

"Where did you and your brother practice?" He asked quickly before he lost her again.

"We…we trained in the back of my house." She searched through the fog of her mind for a good memory and thought of a very recent one. "My best friend Tom and I, we trained by my brother and we would go out and search the jungle for anything to fight." She smiled again at the memory as the feeling in her leg disappeared completely.

Falcon looked over and saw them gently rubbing some sort of green balm around her cut.

"Just recently we found the most amazing place." She lifted her right hand and noticed it was intertwined with Falcon's. "It was a little beach that was untouched and Tom and I claimed it. We were going to build our very own ship there and it would be our own little piece of freedom. We would sail everywhere then return to show our families our spoils." She laughed lightly. "It sounds silly." She said as her eyes closed.

"No, no, no it isn't silly. Come on Sage stay awake." Falcon got up from his seat and sat beside her on the stiff bed.

Sage looked up at him with a look of interest when her eyes cleared again.

"Who are you?" She asked as though she was meeting him for the first time.

"What?" Falcon looked at her with a look of panic on his face.

"One night you're the most bull headed person I know who could care less about his friends, then you become sweeter then a candy covered palace." She said with a stern look.

"Its nothing to worry yourself about." He said as he rubbed his chest above his heart.

"I am done. She will need rest now." The woman came over and helped Sage sip from a wooden bowl full of grey liquid. "This will help her heal." She said as Sage finished the contents.

"How long will she need to stay here?" Falcon asked, being led to the exit by two guards.

"She will be up when it is time to feast." She smiled reassuringly then closed the flaps of the tent in his face as she went to clean her hands of blood.

A few hours later in the central area of the fort the party took shape. There were candles and torches lit everywhere. Cushions and blankets were being placed everywhere around a large wild boar roasting on a spit above a nice warm fire. The women were all wearing beads and feathers in their hair now and there was a group of seven who dressed up in full wooden masks and body paint.

The queen entered the area and everyone went down to a low one-knee bow. Sage, along with the crew, Lilia and Léunia, sat with the queen.

"Tonight we celebrate a great warrior." The queen said pointing to her right where Sage sat and the crowd began to murmur. "Let the celebrations begin." She snapped her fingers and drums began to beat in a fast rhythm that had most women clapping and calling out with different sounds. The seven women who wore masks jumped out in front of the fire and formed a line in front of the queen's seat and danced before her and her guests then went around the fire and danced around it in a large circle.

When the dancing was done they ate and drank until their bellies were full. When the feast seemed to be over the queen stood again and held up her hands for silence.

"Sister, you will always be welcome here." She spoke to Sage then turned to Lilia who handed her a necklace made of wooden beads. "This is a gift from the queen and will be this tribes reminder that you, a simple woman from a foreign land, was able to defeat one of us, gracefully and skilfully." She placed the beads around Sage's neck and the crowd cheered.

Kashka sat off in the dark and just watched as they celebrated a stranger instead of her. She folded her arms and leaned against the large wood gates. She was about to leave and go to her tent when she heard something strange on the other side of the gate. She looked up and began to climb the gate with great difficulty, favouring her hurt arm. At the top she kept her head low and was able to see a line of soldiers dressed in red armed with guns.

"My queen!" Kashka yelled as she ran over to the royal seat.

"What is this Kashka?" She asked in surprise when she saw the look of terror on Kashka's face.

"Men, there are men dressed in red outside our gates. They are armed with weapons greater then ours." She spoke quickly in their language.

"Lilia, take our guests and guide them through the back and away from here." She turned to her sister who nodded and told Sage and the crew to follow her away from the feast. "Warriors, prepare yourselves for battle." The queen shouted to her people who cheered and scattered to retrieve their weapons.

James looked up at the large wall of vines and looked back at his squadron.

"Hillsbrad, are you sure this is it?" He asked a man who was talking with another soldier.

"Aye sir." He said before turning back to talk again.

"First line, bring the ram." James ordered.

A group of six men carried a large wooden ram and stood in front of the wall of vines.

"At my signal." James said then brought his hand down and watched as his men rammed the wood into the wall and heard a crack.

They continued the action until the wall finally broke and opened to an army of women in masks armed with spears, bows and arrows and fire in their eyes.

* * *

.GD. 


	16. Chapter 16

It has been a while since I have had time to update, but I am hoping this chapter makes up for that. I had trouble with this one so, I'm sorry in advanced. )

Enjoy.

* * *

They followed the young Amazonian princess at a run as she raced to the fence at the back most spot of the camp. She didn't speak as she opened the loose post and pointed to the crew, wordlessly telling them to exit.

When all of the crew was out and only Sage and Lilia remained on the inside Sage stopped and looked back at the camp and the storm of battle cries it had become.

"What is going on?" Sage asked a little out of breath.

"We must leave." Lilia said urgently as she pushed Sage towards the opening.

"But why?" Sage asked as she joined the crew on the outside.

"We are under attack." Lilia said looking around at every crew member. "My sister has trusted me to bring you to the swamps. We will leave now." She made her way to the front of the group and began to walk into the lush tropical jungle.

The crew all looked at Falcon who just nodded and followed Lilia into the trees.

"Sam, I want you to help Sage." Falcon spoke quietly to Sam as they walked side by side. "She isn't walking well on her injured leg. See that she doesn't fall behind?" He looked over his shoulder and saw Sage limping with one hand on her wounded leg, a look of discomfort etched on her face.

"Aye captain, I can do that." Sam turned and walked to the back of the line where Dot was trying to help Sage walk. "Go on Dot, I've got it from here." He said, letting Dot take place in the line as they followed Lilia into the unfamiliar.

"I'm fine." Sage argued when Sam pulled one of her arms over his shoulder so that she could lean on him and walk with half the weight on her leg.

"No you're not lass." Sam soothed as he admired the efficient bandaging the Amazon had placed around Sage's leg.

"Do you think, once this is all done I mean, you and the rest of the crew wouldn't want to maybe spend some time in Port Majesty?" Sage asked innocently.

"What kind of medicines have they given you lass?" Sam smiled thoughtfully. "I would love to spend some time in a town with people who spend their days honestly, but I'm afraid your town just wont accept our kind when this is all said and done." He smiled down at Sage when she pouted.

"But, I could talk to the governor, maybe coax a royal pardon out of him?" She suggested.

"And god himself will walk the earth again." Sam laughed. "It just won't happen Sage." He said. "But cheer up, if it's meant, we shall see you again." He added and won a heart melting smiled from Sage.

They had been walking for almost two miles when they had to stop and give Sage a moment to rest.

"Are you in pain?" Lilia asked when she noticed Sage scratching at the bandage.

"A little." Sage admitted when a painful sting made itself present.

"You, come with me." Lilia pointed to Moose and dragged him off into the dark.

"I never got a chance to talk to you after we were separated." Dot sat in front of Sage on the soft mossy ground. "You fight like a well trained soldier." She commented.

"Thanks, but to be honest, I would be content if I never fought again." She smiled a bit before looking around to see the crew sitting here and there, drinking from water bags and talking amongst themselves. "I wish I wasn't such a pain. We would probably be there already if it weren't for my leg." She frowned down at her injury.

Dot smiled sympathetically at Sage before being pushed out of the way by Lilia.

"Hey." She stood and glared at the blond jungle beauty.

"Calm Dot." Sam said as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"I'll show her calm." She swore as she looked down at the warrior princess.

Lilia pulled Moose down to crouch with her in front of Sage and took some of the leaves he held from his hands.

"This plant will help the pain and give you energy." She said reassuringly to Sage before unwrapping the bandage to apply some of the ripped up leaves. She wrapped it back up with the leaves now in place.

"That feels much better, thank you." Sage bend her leg to test it then stood on it and found it felt almost as though it wasn't hurt at all.

"We continue now." Lilia nodded in the northern direction. "Three miles until the swamps.

Sage took place beside Lilia as she led them further through the jungle. Sure enough three miles later they were standing on a black path leading into the swamps.

"The burnt scar." Lilia explained as Sage looked down at the ash-black path beneath her feet.

"How is it here?" She asked.

"Before our time there were a people living here and this path was used as a main trades road from village to village. There was a great war between all of the tribes and an evil spirit ended it by burning the path and all the villages along it." She looked down at the ashen path. "The swamp witch is said to be the only living ancestor of the tribes from before." She said pointing into the swamps. "You will find her if you stay on the path." Then Lilia turned and disappeared into the trees.

The crew looked in disbelief as the Amazing warrior left them alone.

"We've been here before, remember?" Falcon asked irritably.

"Aye, we've been here before, but it's still scary." Rickety said as he huddled next to his twin as they both looked back in the direction of the Amazon's camp.

Falcon rolled his eyes at them then turned and venture forth on the burnt path.

The crew stayed close to each as they made their way through the swamps. There was a brief moment when they stopped to scold Ratch for trying to drink from the dirty waters in the bog, then they continued in deathly silence. Not even the sound of birds or frogs could be heard. The swamp appeared to be completely dead around the seven travelers.

"How much further?" Sage asked Sam in a whisper as they walked behind Falcon, who appeared to be rubbing a sore spot on his chest.

"Not much further now, we should be able to see the hut soon." Sam craned his neck to the side to look over a rather large rock.

All of a sudden Falcon stopped dead in his tracks and Sage walked into him, almost falling over in surprise. Falcon caught her and held her firmly as he turned his attention to the crew with blank eyes and an expressionless face.

"Sage and I go alone from here." He spoke in a dark voice that didn't seem as his own.

"But captain…" Sam was about to protest.

"No!" Falcon waved his hand and a gust of wind blew the crew back two whole steps. They stood, stunned at their captain.

"All right, we'll stay." Sam had his hands up in surrender as he stared worriedly at Falcon.

Sage grimaced as Falcon's hold tightened on her arm when he began to drag her away from the others.

"There is something not right about you." She said strongly as pain gripped her arm.

"Hush!" Falcon hissed as he pulled her towards a very large, very dark weeping willow. They passed beneath the sweeping vines of its branches and came upon a house that seemed to be half swallowed by the tree's trunk.

Sage gasped at the sight and smell. There were carcases of deer and rabbits hanging by ropes from some lower branches, and just outside a window next to the door was an old rotting table covered in blood and sharp instruments. There was a large black cauldron bubbling over a fire and a smell of death and despair was floating from it.

"Falcon, I don't want to be here." Sage tugged on her arm to get free from his unyielding grip, but was unsuccessful.

Falcon stood still and just look dead ahead at the door in a trance.

There was a creaking noise when the door opened and a creepy high-pitched voice called to them, "come in."

Sage tried with all her might to get free but was brutally pushed into the old hut.

"My, you are pretty." The pitch voice sang from behind a high backed chair by a smoldering fire. The speaker had yet to show herself.

"Wha…what do you want?" Sage shook down to her very soul.

"Bring her here my pet." The voice sang and Falcon moved forward like a stone statue. He forced Sage to stand in front of the chair then bowed deeply on one knee before the most hideous thing Sage had ever seen.

Sitting in the chair with a glowing ball floating just above her lap was a woman with only half a face. The other half appeared to be burnt completely down to the bone. Her nose was crooked and pointed down and her one good eye had yellow crust surrounding it. Her long nailed fingers waved and bent over the ball as it bobbed slowly up and down in mid-air.

"So pretty, like her mother." The witch sang.

"My mother?" Sage gasped, a hand flying to her heart. "You knew my mother?" She asked excitedly.

"The beauty was pure and true, but heart was already dying." The witch growled still in a singsong voice.

"What do you mean?" Sage asked hurriedly.

"The heart, the heart, it was to die." The witch looked intently at her ball and an image of Sage's mother came into clear view.

Sage looked at it with wide watery eyes. She reached out to touch the ball but pulled her hand back fast when the witch hissed. She stared intently as her mother walked along a pretty flowered path with the governor's wife and a little girl walking at her skirts, which she recognised as herself at a very young age. The two women shared a light laugh at a joke Sage couldn't hear, and then her mother began to cough. Her mother held her hand out and looked solemnly at the small amount of blood on it. Bella took out a lace handkerchief and quickly wiped the blood away. She then picked up the small child and took her friend's hand and they made their way back down the path and towards Port Majesty, both woman with a sad and knowing look on their faces.

"The heart, it dies so easily." The witch began to rock back and forth then her eye opened wide and she no longer had a singsong voice but a clear one that sounded angry. "Your mother was going to be the answer to my prayers, but she had to go and get sick didn't she." The witch stood and walked over to a chest and withdrew a long bit of rope. She threw it to Falcon and ordered him to tie Sage up then left the room.

"No!" Sage screamed as she was pushed into a chair.

Falcon snarled when Sage kicked him in the shin and slapped her across the face, silencing her immediately.

Sage's head hung low as tears began to fall from her eyes. Falcon had finished tying the rope when the witch came back.

"I'd been watching your mother for a long time." The witch looked like a child at Christmas with a large wooden box in her hands. "She had such beauty, and it was almost mine." She sighed as she took bottles and tools out of the box and placed them on a nearby table.

"How did you know my mother?" Sage asked angrily as images of her mother in this same situation crossed her mind.

The witch didn't answer but glanced briefly towards her crystal ball. The idea of her spying through it at her mother came to view in Sage's head.

"She wasn't as strong and unwilling as you." The witch spoke roughly as she pulled out a small black iron pot from her box.

"My mother drowned in an accident just outside of Port Majesty." Sage stated as the image of her mother in the place began to fade from her mind.

"Or so your father thinks." The witch cackled. "True the ship hit coral and went down to the depths, but your mother did not." She smiled evilly.

Sage looked sickly white and disgusted. "You monster, what have you done with her?" She screamed.

"Pet, would you silence her?" The witch spoke to Falcon without looking at him.

Falcon walked towards Sage and placed a dirty bit of cloth in her mouth and tied it around the back of her head.

Sage struggled and had time to look into Falcon's eyes and knew in that instant that it wasn't him in his body, but something else, something dark.

"Now, this might hurt." The witch grinned as she walked towards Sage with a knife.

Sage's scream was muffled in the dirty gag in her mouth as the witch sliced a shallow cut down her arm. Blood dripped down her arm and into a silver cup. The witch held the cut up as though it was some special prize then dumped the blood into her black pot. She added a few more ingredients, mumbling incoherent words every once and a while.

"Your mother knew she was dying long before she came here." The witch began to talk conversationally. "I suppose that is why she did not fight. And you, you are far younger then she was, and much prettier." The witch beamed at Sage with an almost toothless grin.

Sage struggled against her restraints, sneaking looks at Falcon every few seconds. She managed to spit the gag and began to scream for help.

"Shut her up." The witch yelled.

Falcon stepped forwards and was about to hit her again when Sage fell silent.

"Please Falcon, don't do this." She pleaded.

The witch laughed.

"I know this isn't you." Sage sounded desperate.

Falcon reached down to replace the gag back in her mouth when all of a sudden his hand sprang up to his chest and he lurched forward a little. He braced himself on the arms of the chair Sage was tied to and gasped. Sage could see the color come back into his eyes for a brief moment.

"Sage." It came out of his mouth as a wispy gasp then he straightened and his eyes were glassy, colorless pits again.

"Step back my pet!" The witch came over and ran a hand over his cheek. "Its time for me to do my magic." She brought the small black pot with her and held it firmly in her crooked hands.

"Why are you doing this?" Sage asked.

"Look at me girl!" She screeched as her short-tempered patience was lost.

Sage winced as the witch brought her face level with Sage's and Sage was forced to look at the hideousness.

"I've been searching a long time for the perfect body to replaced this mangled one, and when I finally find one it turns out she's already half dead!" She cackled like a mad woman.

Sage looked at her with disdain.

"What did you do with my mother?" She asked angrily.

"Not much." The witch stood back up as straight as she could stand. "She became very ill within a week and died over there in that very corner." She pointed to a small bundle of blankets in a dark corner furthest from the door. There was dust and cobwebs covering what looked like a broken bed.

Sage shuddered just looking at it.

"She kept begging me to let her return to her family." The witch mimicked her mother's voice. "My baby, she needs me.' She would cry. "My son is not yet five." The witch smiled as Sage began to cry. "They need me!" The witch finished with a growl.

Sage looked up with hate in her eyes.

"And who was there when I needed them?" The witch screeched. "Where was my family?" She screamed and spit ran down her chin. "Dead! All dead, dead, dead." She cheered madly. "I was the only to survive the blood and burning." She pointed to her face.

"That wasn't my mothers fault!" Sage cried.

"No." The witch looked at her crystal ball with adoration. "Those whose fault it is will pay for what they have done to my family." She smiled dreamily as the ball began to glow brighter.

Sage stared at it then at Falcon and wondered.

"Did you find Falcon the same way?" Sage asked. "Did you use your magic ball?"

"Never mind." The witch sneered. "Silence her." She spoke to Falcon again and he replaced the gag.

Sage struggled with all her might against the ropes that bound her. The witch was chanting something incoherent over her iron pot then looked over at her with a sickly grin.

"It is time." She all but sang.

Sage struggled harder then ever, the ropes cutting into her arms.

The witch brought the pot to her mouth and drank the contents down in one gulp. She winced then gagged as it made its way down her half burnt throat.

Sage's eyes widened in fear as the witch crumbled to the floor and began to scream in agony.

Falcon just stood there, unfased by the events.

In the blink of an eye the screams had subsided and the witch was lying still on the cold floor. She began to move slowly, one arm at a time, and then each of her legs began to move. She slowly struggled to her feet.

Sage screamed against the rag in her mouth when she was faced with a mirror image of herself.

"My, that hurt much more then I thought it would." The witch giggled then ran her hands over her new face. She gasped and ran over to a wall length mirror and cried out with joy. "I'm beautiful!" She smiled in a disturbing way.

Sage stared horror struck.

The witch pulled her robe back and let it fall to the floor so that she was standing before them in the nude.

Sage watched with a blush as the psychotic witch turned around in front of the mirror, naked, in her body.

"It worked perfectly!" She grinned as she sauntered over to a trunk and pulled out a black dress. After putting it on she walked back over to Sage.

Sage gasped for fresh air as the gag was removed from her mouth.

"You have given me such a gift." The witch looked at her adoringly.

"How?" Sage looked bewildered. "How did you…"

"Oh it was a simple spell." The witch waved the question away before smiling sickly. "As a reward for this," She ran her hands over her new body, "I will let you live." She smiled coldly. "But you will never leave this swamp as I was never aloud to." She cackled as Sage struggled once more against the ropes.

"You can't do this!" Sage yelled as the witch took her magic ball in her hands and held it lovingly.

"Come pet." The witch winked at Falcon as he followed faithfully.

"Stop, no!" Sage yelled fearfully. "Falcon!" She began to cry.

"Enjoy your solitude!" The witch sang as she and Falcon left the hut and began to walk down the scar towards the rest of the crew.

* * *

.GD. 


	17. Chapter 17

Another Chapter before I go away to the Island. I'm sorry it's a little short, don't be angry, please? I'll try for a much longer one next time, promise.

Enjoy.

* * *

Sam tossed another small stone across the black scar as he sat on an old log beside Dot. A chill ran down his spine and was accompanied by a vile feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"This isn't right." Dot shuddered as she rubbed her arms for warmth.

"Patients lass, they'll be back soon enough." Sam pat her on the back gently. He turned away before she could see the look of uncertainty on his face.

"I'm sure I'm not the first and only to notice, but the captain hasn't been himself for quite some time." Moose spoke up from his place on the ground where he lay staring up at a cloudy sky.

"He's angry all the time." Dot agreed.

"And quiet, very quiet." Moose sat up and looked from Sam to Dot.

"It all started after that dream he had." Dot looked a little chilled at the mention.

Sam rubbed a hand over a sore point in the back of his neck before standing.

"Sam you can't deny he's changed." Moose rose too.

"I've not denied a thing." Sam snapped. "I know he's changed, but he won't tell me a things wrong with him." Sam closed his eyes then opened them as though to help see things clearer. "I'm going to go see what's keeping them." He said as he made his way in the direction they last saw their captain and Sage.

And there they were. But something stopped the easy smile Sam always had. There was something cold and different about them, even more different then before they had left.

"All right then Falcon?" Sam asked as he put a hand on Falcon's shoulder.

He let out a low yelp when his arm was clenched in a sharp tight grip between Falcon's cold fingers.

"Don't touch me." Falcon snarled as he looked down at Sam, who was now kneeling on the ground.

"Falcon, stop!" Dot ran over and pushed him off.

"Now, now, that wasn't very nice." Sage sauntered over, her hips swaying more then usual, and Moose noticed.

"You hurt, Sage?" Moose asked in his husky low Jamaican accent. His mouth went dry when Sage shot him a haughty look before licking her lips.

"Just fine." She grinned wickedly at him before passing him to look down the path. "What say we all go back to the ship?" She asked almost giddily.

"What did the witch want?" Sam asked as he rubbed his now bruised forearm.

"What?" Sage turned slowly with a look of curiosity.

"The whole point and purpose for us being here." Sam looked angrily at Falcon then brought his attention back to Sage who was now giggling behind her dainty hands.

"Don't worry yourself about that." She said walking over to him. Placing a skilled hand around the left side of his neck she brought his head down to whisper in his right ear. "She got what she wanted." Before stepping back she gave his ear a light nip then giggled as he paled.

"What's that you've got?" Dot asked angrily. She pointed at the glowing orb in Sage's arm.

"Nothing!" Sage barked and had Dot taking a step back.

"Lets get moving." Falcon took hold of Sage's hand and led her away from a horrified crew and headed down the path towards the beach.

James stood in front of a row of bound and kneeling women painted for war in leather cloth and jungle paint. They fought well and hard, he could give them that, but they were far from cooperative.

"Tell me who is your leader?" He asked them at large in a booming voice.

Nothing.

"I don't want to hurt you more then we already have." James sighed deeply.

"Hurt us?" One of the warrior women spat on his boot. "You could never." She glared as two soldiers held her back.

"What is your name?" James crouched in front of her and spoke softly.

"Kashka, a proud sister and warrior." She yelled and many of the women cheered her.

"Are you the one responsible for these women, Kashka?" James asked hopefully.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She sneered and had many of the women laughing.

"Enough!" James roared and had them all quiet again. "If your leader does not care enough to show herself then I suppose she wouldn't care if we just removed some of you from here. Men, get the slave wagon ready!" James ordered.

"No!" The queen yelled as one of the men picked Lilia up off the ground.

James looked down the line and found a beautiful woman with curly blond hair and bright eyes staring into him viciously. "What is your name?" He asked quietly.

"Gabriella." She chocked out, disgusted in herself for even speaking with this man.

"Gabriella, I need to ask you something very important." James signaled for one of the soldiers to lift her to her feet. They walked to a tent and sat then were left alone.

"What do you want of my people?" Gabriella asked coldly.

"Nothing but an answer." James put his face in his hands.

"You would take some of us as slaves?" She growled.

"Never." James looked up. "That was merely a ploy to find you." He smirked when she swore. "I'm not interested in slavery and never will be, I only want to find my sister." He looked intensely into her eyes.

"And you think she is here?" Gabriella spoke in a tone that told James he would need to bargain for the truth.

"If you tell me where she is, I will take my men and leave this place with nothing, not a word of its existence shall be spoken." He offered. "All I want is my sister." He added sincerely.

"And why should I trust you, a man?" Gabriella questioned.

"I am an honest man, my mother taught me well enough the significance of respect for women while she was alive." James answered truthfully.

There was something in his eyes that told Gabriella she could trust him enough to let him and his men go. She knew if her sister had been taken from her she would never sleep until she had found her, and she could see that affect was the same on him. He looked tired and sad, and dead inside. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but she admired his will and determination to find his sister, even if he was a man.

"Just before you entered our city, your sister was taken safely from our walls. She travels with pirates." Gabriella watched a look of hope pass through his eyes. "She is a fierce warrior, your family must be proud." She commented.

"She isn't hurt?" James asked.

"She was injured in a fight, but it heals quickly." Gabriella smiled at his relief. "There is something you should know." She spoke seriously. "She and her pirates, they travel to the witch in the swamps. What they needed with her, I will never know, but it is a foul place." She looked pale now. "They may be in danger yet."

"Where is it?" James asked as he kneeled before her.

"Far into the swamps." She looked down into his eyes. "My sister took them as far as the scar then left them to find their own way to the witch."

"Then that is where we shall go next." James stood and walked around the back of Gabriella's chair and untied her.

"A warning on you, do not let her bewitch you." Gabriella stood and rubbed her wrists. "Many have died by her hands."

"I will find my sister." James ignored the warning.

"Then you must go." Gabriella nodded then left the tent behind him.

James told his troops to untie the women and Gabriella had them all stand back as the men gathered their weapons and rallied together in a line.

"Remember your promise." Gabriella called to James as he and his men left quickly.

"A man's promise?" Kashka asked sarcastically.

"That one has something in his heart." Gabriella smiled. "Begin repairs on the gate, we have a mess to clean up." She put her hands on her hips and looked around at a few crumbled tents and the debris from the gate, which was destroyed. "Men." Frowning, she shook her head then walked off to help with the repairs.

Dot sat on a crate beside Sam as he rolled a rope over his shoulder and around his arm.

"She seems different." Dot commented as she watched Sage lean over the side of the ship to look down at the passing water with delight.

"Aye, she is different, lass." Sam kept his eyes on Sage as well. "Something in that swamp changed Falcon the first time, now Sage." He shook his head sadly. "I should have seen this coming. What have we done to the poor girl?" He placed the rolled rope on a hook on the railing and walked to the door leading down to the lower parts of the ship.

Dot, determined to find out for herself, pushed off of the crate and walked over to Sage.

"How are you feeling?" She asked Sage calmly.

"I'm fantastic." Sage held her arms out and spun in a circle. "I love the fresh air, the water." She looked down at the waves as they splashed along the belly of the boat.

"That's good. I was worried you were maybe feeling a little off, like Falcon." Dot looked up to see Falcon yelling at Moose about something on a map at the helm.

"There isn't anything wrong with Falcon, he's just fine." Sage said arrogantly. "I love him just the way he is." She looked in Falcon's direction with her bottom lip trapped between her teeth.

"But you even said he was acting in the wrong just yesterday." Dot said disbelievingly. "Now you love him?"

"I said that?" The witch turned and bit her thumbnail nervously. "Well I've changed my mind." She said snootily.

"What happened to you in that swamp, Sage?" Dot asked worriedly.

"I said nothing happened, god, why are you so stupid?" She laughed in Dot's face as she pushed past her to join Falcon at the helm.

Dot stood stone still and watched as Sage walked unsteadily towards the helm. The Sage she knew was already used to the tilting movement of the ship, and she definitely wasn't as rude as this Sage. There was surely an explanation for this, but all Dot could think of was that this was not Sage.

Shrugging, Dot walked to her room and closed herself in for some serious contemplation.

* * *

.GD. 


	18. Chapter 18

I think this one is quite a bit longer then the last. At least I hope it is. This chapter was sort of nerve racking to write and you will see why. I got angry with myself a couple times during the writing of this chapter, and you might get angry too, who knows.

I'm back from the Island so I'll try to have another chapter finished before the week is up.

Enjoy.

* * *

There were no more tears to be shed, Sage was sure of that. She had to figure out a way to escape this hellhole. She cringed as the ropes dug deeper into her wrists from her struggles. She could feel warm liquid running down her fingers, and she knew it was her own blood. There had to be some miracle waiting to happen. This couldn't be it.

"James, what is this place?" A familiar voice whispered just outside the door.

Sage's head shot up so quickly she was sure she had pulled several muscles in her neck, but she didn't care.

"I'm in here!" She screamed until her voice cracked.

"Sage?" It was James, and the first voice was Dominick, she was sure. She had to be sure.

"Help, please!" She began to panic when the door didn't break down immediately.

"I don't think she's here, Sir." A man spoke solemnly from beside James as they looked upon the large trunk of a weeping willow.

"I could have sworn I heard her." Dominick inspected the trunk a little closer before stepping back again.

"I thought I heard her too, but maybe we just wanted to hear her." James rubbed his tired eyes before turning to the soldier beside him to discuss further actions.

Dominick walked back to the trunk and ran his hand over its rough surface. It was warm to the touch, which was an odd quality in the cold swamp air.

"Sage, where are you?" He whispered to himself and pressed his cheek to the trunk of the willow.

"James, Dominick, I'm in here!" Sage was completely hysterical at this point. She could hear them clearly, and knew they were just outside the door, but they couldn't see it. She knew the witch must have done something to hide her. It was hopeless.

"Dom, we're going to spread out and search the rest of the southern half of the swamps. You're with me." James said as he gathered a few more troops for his group.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Dominick held up his hand so that everyone would be quiet.

All the soldiers were dead silent. It started out quietly and grew louder. It was a girl crying.

"Where is it coming from?" James ran over to Dominick and placed his hand on the trunk as his friend was pressing his ear to the rough bark.

"In the tree." Dominick looked horrified. "She's in the tree!" He shouted.

"Bernard!" James yelled to a stout old sailor.

"Aye, Sir?" Bernard stood at command before his Captain.

"Give me that ax you acquired from the Amazon camp." He ordered, but took the weapon before it was given to him.

He began to swing wildly at the trunk of the tree. Soon there were large pieces breaking off and Dominick was there to rip them away. It wasn't long before the cries could be heard as clear as a bell.

"Sage!" James yelled when the crying stopped.

"What's that?" Dominick asked as a plank of wood could be seen behind a heavy layer of tree sap.

"A door." James threw down the ax and began to rip at the dead bark with his bare hands.

They stood back for a brief moment before James stepped forward to take the sticky wooden handle in his hands. He pushed the door opened and winced at the smell that hit him. It smelt strongly of blood, sweat and rot. There was a broken cot in one corner and a table covered in rusty tools and blood to his left. Right in front of him was a large fireplace and a high backed chair in front of it. James could see two dainty and bloodied hands hanging down the back of the chair, bound together tightly with a bit of old rope. He slowly walked towards the chair and took hold of the back.

He turned it around in one swift motion that had Sage's head lolling from one side to the other. Her eyes were closed and her face was as white as a sheet.

"Sage!" James took her face in both his hands. "Wake up darling, come on." He kissed both of her cold cheeks and let the tears of fear and relief fall freely from his eyes, regardless of the army of soldiers outside.

"Is she?" Dominick didn't have the heart to say dead, but he feared it.

"I-I don't know." James blinked away the next batch of tears and stood up. Pulling out his dagger he began to cut away her restraints.

When she was free from all the rope, Sage's body began to fall forward out of the chair.

"I've got her." Dominick caught her and held her close to his body to warm her. "She's as cold as ice." He rubbed her arms and hugged her closer.

"Doc!" James rubbed more unyielding tears away as the ships doctor stepped in.

The doctor checked for a pulse and frowned. He checked her raw and bloodied wrists then the cut on her forearm and frowned again.

"Well?" James yelled desperately.

"Her pulse is strong enough, but it's unsteady." The doctor opened one of her eyes, then the other. "The wounds on the wrists and arm aren't particularly nice either. I'll need to clean them and bandage them when we get back to the ship, but for now, all I can say is she is fine and will be fine, physically." He stood and nodded for Dominick to lift her.

"What do you mean for now?" James placed an unsteady hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"Lord knows what she's been through and seen in this ungodly place." The doctor looked around in disgust. "She may have suffered in a far worse pain then the physical sort." The doctor looked at the bloody table and the rusty tools and covered his mouth with his handkerchief. "Just be ready if she isn't the same psychologically as she was before." He looked sadly at her sleeping form in Dominick's arms then stepped outside.

_Dear father._

_I've found her; I've found our Sage._

_She hasn't woken since we've brought her aboard the ship._

_She sustained very few injuries._

_She sleeps restlessly, crying for a falcon._

_The doctor thinks it may be a sign that she has gone insane, but I can't believe that._

_I'm bringing her home._

_We should be in Port Majesty by the end of this week if the weather stays as it is._

_I'm sorry I couldn't find her sooner for you father. _

_We'll talk more when you have returned to port._

_Until then father,_

_Your, James._

The commodore read it then re read it, as he did with all of his son's letters. His little girl was safe with her brother and on her way home. There was a god. Garret walked to the window behind his desk and laughed for the first time in what felt like months.

"Sir, you asked for me?" The young man who manned the helm walked in slowly.

"Yes, turn the ship around, we make for Port Majesty." He smiled and ran out past the young man. He ran until he was up at the helm himself. "Gents, she's found!" He called out for the entire ship to hear. There was an eruption of cheers and applause as many of the men came up to the commodore to hear more of the latest report from James.

Back on the Widow Maker, Falcon was in a very foul mood. He stood at the helm with his eyes set in a glare and his shoulders tensed.

"Relax my pet." Sage purred from behind him as she placed her hands on his shoulders and began to rub the tension away. "We'll be in London soon enough then we can dispose of this disgusting ship along with its pathetic crew." She smiled wickedly as Falcon turned towards her, his hands planted firmly on her waist.

"Why London?" He asked.

"Because, I've always wanted to see the place where those monsters that destroyed my people came from." She wrapped her hands around his neck.

"And what will you do once we get there?" He asked with raised eyebrows as she began to slowly unbutton his shirt.

"I'll kill their leader, of course." She smirked as she undid another button.

"The king of England?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, then they will see how it is to live with nothing. No ruler. An anarchy, as my tribe had become. Then everything shall crumble into complete ruins. They will be forced to live in complete chaos. The people will slowly turn on each other and no one will trust anyone, until they slowly kill each other off, one by one." She laughed madly then began to kiss Falcon on his newly exposed skin.

"You're evil." He growled and had the witch in Sage looking up then giggling as she saw the lusty look in his eyes.

"That I am, my pet." She grinned then stepped just out of his grasp and began to walk down to the lower deck. Falcon followed her in a trance into his cabin and closed the doors.

In a warm bed tucked safely in her brother's cabin, Sage woke screaming.

"It's all right sweet heart." James soothed as he held her shaking body in his arms. "I'm here, you're safe." He slowly ran his hands through her hair, a comforting technique he scarcely remembered his mother using.

"Falcon." She whimpered as a flash of his pained face flashed across her mind. "He's in pain." She held onto James' shirtfront. "The hold that witch has on him is hurting him." She cried as James calmly rocked her.

"There, now, what are you talking about?" James remembered the doctor's advice about keeping her calm and letting her talk out her crazed thoughts.

"Falcon, he needs my help." Sage pushed away from her brother's arms when she recognized his tone. "Why are you talking to me like that?" She asked angrily.

"Like what, sweet heart?" James asked calmly even though he was a bit panicked by her evident mood swing.

"You're speaking to me as though I were a child." She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"No I'm not." James reached for her again then pulled away at her deathly glare. "Sorry, it's just the doctor said you might be a little off when you first wake. I didn't want to scare you." James admitted.

"Well I'm not crazy, if that's what the doctor thinks." Sage shot back then smiled softly at James as she took in his entire appearance. It seemed he hadn't had a good sleep for some time and his hair was a mess. It stood out in spikes all over his head and his eyes were puffy and red. His clothes were wrinkled and his posture told Sage that he had definitely slept in the chair he was sitting in beside her bed.

"So how are you feeling then?" He asked with a small smile of his own.

"Better then you by the looks of it." Sage commented.

"That's good." He took one of her hands and kissed it. "I'm glad you aren't crazy little sister." He smiled again.

"Thank you." Sage rolled her eyes but managed a small laugh.

"Dominick has been killing himself over this entire ordeal." James began. "He's been up all these past two days since we found you. He's probably in his room as we speak, pacing." James laughed.

"It wasn't his fault." Sage rubbed her stomach as it growled. "I hope he doesn't think that." She frowned as James did.

"I'll let him know you're awake." James stood and walked to the door. "I have to go fetch the doctor anyway." He added when Sage began to protest.

"Oh, all right." She sighed as she sat back on the fluffy pillows behind her head.

She closed her eyes momentarily then opened them when she began to see bits and pieces of her dream from last night. She could still see Falcon's helpless eyes fighting through those of the thing that had taken over his body. She needed to find him, and help him. She had a good idea that that orb the witch kept with her was the key. The only obstacle now was convincing her brother to turn the ship back to find the Widow.

Sage's thoughts were cut short with a light knock at the door.

"Come in." She said.

Dominick stepped in slowly. Sage had to bite her lip not to laugh. He looked worse off then James. His hair was wild and his eyes were much more red. His shirt was half undone leaving the top half open and his feet were bare. Sage promised herself to keep this image in her mind forever. Never in her life had she seen him looking anything less then perfect.

"God, Dominick you look like hell." Sage commented as she folded her hands together.

"How are you?" He ignored the comment and went straight to her bedside, his hand finding hers the instant he was close enough to take it.

"Stop that will you, or you'll make me cry." Sage looked down at his anxious expression and felt so sorry for him.

"This was all my fault. I am so sorry Sage, please forgive me." He looked pathetic begging for forgiveness and that was something Sage couldn't stand.

"Stop right now. None of this was your fault, and if you dare try coming up with a reason why it was, I will never speak to you again." She added when he opened his mouth to speak.

"I missed that." Dominick looked down at the small hand he held in his own.

"Missed what?" Sage asked as her eyes too went to their connected hands.

"You putting me in my place." He smiled warmly then looked up into her eyes.

Sage stared at him for a while, just remembering all his features and how handsome he looks, then how much he looks like Falcon. Falcon. Why did he have to look so much like Falcon?

"Dominick." Sage leaned forward until her face was only inches away from his.

"I love you Sage." He whispered then pressed his lips gently to hers.

A single tear slid down Sage's cheek and landed on their joined hands. How could she tell him her heart was beating for someone else? How could she tell him she did not love him the way he loved her?

"Dominick I…" Sage closed her eyes as they welled again.

"Don't speak." Dominick silenced her by kissing her again, this time with more then just a light touch. He sat on the edge of the bed now, his arms holding her safely in an embrace that warmed her instantly.

Sage could feel butterflies fighting to escape her stomach, from both excitement and anxiety.

"Dominick, stop." She whispered as his lips began to trail along her jaw and down her neck. She was about to push him away then let her head fall back when he found a sweet spot that had her turning to jelly in his arms.

"I would have died if we hadn't found you. I know part of me must have died when we found you missing." He whispered between kisses.

"Dominick I can't." Sage whimpered then pulled him into another long liquid smooth kiss when the need grew too strong for her to resist.

"I know our fathers have it planed that we marry, but I want you to know if they hadn't planed this, I would have asked you myself anyway." He kissed her deeply when she let a small whimper escape her lips.

She would never forgive herself for this, and she knew it, but it had to be done.

"Dominick, I can't marry you." She finally said when he stopped long enough for her to breathe.

"But of course you can." He insisted with a laugh, thinking it was only a joke.

"No, I can't." Sage insisted sadly. "I'm sorry."

"What's this nonsense?" He asked seriously when he noticed her serious expression.

"Dominick, I've…I-I'm in love with someone else." She managed to blurt out.

"Who could you possibly be in love with?" He asked testily. "Tom?" He asked sarcastically.

"No." Sage looked down at her hands as they folded together again in a nervous act.

"Then who?" Dominick asked angrily as he stood, pushing the chair back with a sharp scratch along the floor.

"His name is Falcon." Sage looked up into his eyes sincerely. "I'm sorry." She looked away as he began to breathe heavily and pace the room angrily.

"I've heard that name before." He stopped and paced, stopped and paced until he stopped and turned to look at her. "He isn't the smithies son is he?" He asked heatedly.

"No." Sage whispered her eyes remained on her hands.

"Falcon, Falcon…" He paced two more times before stopping stone still. "The pirate captain of the Widow Maker." He turned to look at her.

"Yes." Sage looked into his eyes and knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"He was the one who took you." He sat on the side of her bed again and took her shoulders in his hands. "He's brain washed you, made you believe he loves you." He pressed.

"No, he hasn't." Sage insisted. "I love him, without even knowing if his feelings are the same." She continued. "I need to help him, Dominick, he's in terrible trouble."

"Aye, that he is." Dominick stood again. "He'll hang for what he's done to you, that wretch." He growled.

"He's a good man." Sage defended him because she knew it was true. She knew he was a wonderful person underneath the possessed demon skin.

"Look what he's done to you Sage." Dominick raised his voice.

"He's done nothing to hurt me." She raised her voice too.

"You call this not hurting you?" He picked up one of her limp arms and pointed to the bandages on her wrists.

"That wasn't his fault!" Sage yelled.

"Then who's was it?" Dominick yelled back.

"The bloody witch from the swamps!" She yelled even louder and had James coming in to make sure everything was all right.

"What's going on in here?" He looked sternly at Dominick.

"Your sister has gone mad." He yelled then stormed out.

"Sage?" James asked her in a blaming tone.

"What?" She asked irritably. "He's just upset because I won't marry him." She crossed her arms and looked away.

"Why do you hate him so much?" James sighed and sat down in the chair beside the bed.

"I don't hate him." Sage sighed as well then pulled her knees up to her chest. "I'm just in love with someone else." She admitted.

"Who?" He asked astonished. "It's not Tom is it?" He laughed.

"No, it's not Tom!" She yelled.

"Sorry." James hid another laugh by coughing a bit.

"His name is Falcon." Sage sighed again.

"The one you've been dreaming about?" James leaned in towards her.

"Yes." She put her cheek on her knees to rest her head. "Dominick is angry because Falcon is the captain of the ship where I've been guest for the past little while." She winced when James stood up pushing the chair back just as Dominick had.

"Have you gone completely mad?" He yelled.

"You don't understand!" She countered.

"Oh I understand completely." James stared at her intently. "Understand this: you will not bring this up with our father." He raised one hand to silence her before she could even get a word in. "You will not speak his name ever again, and you most certainly will not be seeing him ever again." James cut her off one more time before she could even open her mouth. "You are going to be home soon and you will continue living as though this never happened. If I see that man in our Port, he will be hung without a trial. Do you understand?" He let her speak finally.

"Yes." Sage looked into his eyes as hers flooded with tears. "I understand completely."

"Good." James nodded then left before he let himself crumble and apologize for being so harsh.

Sage put her face in her hands and wept until sleep finally took her again. When she woke she would be home, and this will have all been a horrible memory.

* * *

.GD. 


	19. Chapter 19

I'm sorry, but I've gone and written another shorter chapter. I'm just trying to make it safely to the end of this story without mucking anything up.

Enjoy.

* * *

Falcon stirred in a fitful slumber. Sage lay across him, her arms around his neck in a protective grasp.

Images of the real Sage slowly dying in a rotting cabin, alone in a dark swamp plagued his dreams. He was struggling to push aside the fog that clouded his mind and eyes. He could still hear and see what happened around him, but he knew it wasn't him who was talking or acting on his behalf.

Another image of the real Sage shot across his mind. She was standing in a beautiful white gown with flowers in her hair and in her hands. There was a man walking up to her. He looked very proper and rich, something Falcon wished he could be for Sage. The man took her hand and led her away. Falcon yelled for them to stop, but they ignored him. Sage looked over her shoulder and smiled before throwing the bouquet of flowers at his feet.

There was a flash then a lot of pain in Falcon's head and chest, then he was sitting up in bed with what he knew was an impostor with her arms around him.

"No, get off!" He yelled before jumping out of bed, then realizing he wasn't wearing anything he tore one of his linens off the bed and wrapped it around his waist.

"What is it my pet?" The witch rubbed her drowsy eyes before pulling some of the sheets up to cover herself. "Did you have a bad dream?" She cooed.

"What have you done to me?" Falcon pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead then let out a cry when a white-hot pain shot through his body.

"Oh, I see." The witch looked him up and down then got up and walked to a trunk at the foot of the bed. "Don't worry my pet, we'll have you back to normal soon." She sang as she picked up her magic ball.

"No." Falcon screamed as he saw the object of his pain. "Don't!" He cried, but it was too late. He felt himself being ripped from his own grasp and thrown back into a dark foggy place at the back of his mind.

"Pet, are you feeling better?" She asked happily when she noticed the vacant expression on his face.

"Much better." Falcon smirked before picking Sage up and dropping down with her in bed.

"Oh good. You frightened me for a moment." The witch's hand twitched in his strong grasp.

"I would never leave you, mistress." Falcon kissed her twitching hand then trailed the kisses up her arm and to her mouth.

The witch closed her eyes and settled in to sleep for a few more hours, Falcon's arms pulling her close before he too fell asleep.

The sun was rising just high enough to have a stream of it peaking through Sage's window and onto her closed eyes. Rolling onto her back Sage groaned then pulled a pillow over her eyes.

Five minutes later, when Sage had just fallen back asleep the pillow was pulled from her face and a glare of light was violently shone on her eyes.

"Oh, sod off, will you?" She yelled as James pulled her covers down exposing her to the cold morning.

"Wake up butter cup. Father is home this morning. He's on his way from the docks as we speak." James grinned as Sage made a rude gesture with her fingers then turned onto her stomach, pressing her face into the mattress.

Sage spoke into the mattress and could barely be heard saying, 'go away', but James wasn't fazed. He strolled over to her wardrobe and pulled out a light dress in pale pink and threw it on her bed.

"Put this on. " He ordered before walking to the door. "Breakfast will be served once father comes in." He grinned once more before closing the door behind him.

Sage slowly rolled back onto her back and just stared up at the ceiling. It had been four days since she had returned home and each day since had been the same. She would wake up in a cold sweat and crying. James would call the doctor and he would poke and prod but insist nothing was wrong. Then she would spend the day in the garden or in the house with a watchful eye on her at all times.

Sitting up now, Sage promised herself she wouldn't cry and she wouldn't let her nightmares ruin her day. She got out of bed and splashed some already cold water on her face then took a sponge and cleaned the rest of herself. She pulled the dress on, and with great difficulty, Sage tied it up and went down to sit with James in the parlor.

"How are you feeling today?" James asked as he did every day.

"Fine." Was always Sage's answer.

"Tom was here this morning. I told him you were sleeping." James opted for a bit of light conversation.

"Did you say he could come back later?" Sage asked hopefully.

"I thought it best he not show up at all today, seeing as how father will most likely want you to himself." James explained.

"Oh." Sage looked down at her hands in her lap. "All right." She whispered before going quiet.

"The governor has invited us for dinner tonight, are you feeling up for it?" James asked, as he looked over the monthly report from London.

"Yes." Sage answered.

"Good, I'm sure Dominick will want to see you." James turned a page, never noticing his sister's discomfort.

Before Sage could answer the front door flew opened and Garret Edwards came barreling into the parlor.

"Sage." He spoke breathlessly before picking her up out of the chair and spinning her around. "The doctor already gave me the full report that you are fine, but I just couldn't wait to see for myself." He smiled as he hugged and pushed her back to look at her then hugged her again. "Princess, you're home." He sighed happily before stepping back and regaining his normal composer.

Garret gave his son an approving look then returned his gaze to his youngest child.

"Darling what's wrong?" He asked when Sage had yet to smile.

"Nothing at all father." Sage said in a dry tone.

"Are you not happy to be home?" He asked almost fearfully.

"I'm thrilled." She spat before giving her brother an angry glare then stormed out of the room to return to her bedroom.

"It's alright father." James insisted when Garret's mouth fell open. "The doctor said she would be a little off for a while. She just needs to get all her anger out. Those fiends had her for quite some time." He poured his father a glass of brandy then sat across from him and drank his own. "We might never know what happened all those weeks aboard that ship." He shrugged.

"I've already had a ship leave port to track those monsters down." Garret said as he sipped from his glass. "They wont get far before they're caught," he smiled, "and when they are, we'll have our justice."

James flinched a little at the thought of them being brought to port. If Sage knew, she would surely go crazy, and everything would be in an uproar.

"They wouldn't be brought back here, would they?" James asked.

"Of course they would." Garret raised a brow. "I intend to see to their trials myself." He swished his drink around. "I'm going to go up and have a light nap before dinner. You told the governor we would be coming, didn't you?" He asked almost hopeful his son had forgotten.

"Yes. Don't worry it isn't for nine hours. You have time for a rather large nap." James teased. "Old man." He laughed as his father glared at him and went upstairs.

Tonight was going to be a very long night.

And it began with the very arduous task of preparing Sage for dinner. A new maid, whom she had yet to hear a single word from, dressed her. Being dressed only made Sage feel even worse. She missed Marie terribly and would give anything to have her back. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She was wrapped like a pretty present to be given away to a man she didn't want to marry. She wore a dress the color of a tropical blue sea. Her hair was pulled up and away from her face and off of her neck. She wore the little pearl and diamond necklace her brother had given her the night she was taken. Everything she thought about brought back painful memories.

Sage wished for nothing else then to tell her father about her feelings for the Captain of the ship where she had felt like a guest, not prisoner.

There was a firm knock at the door before her father entered.

"Ready, princess?" He asked gleefully when he saw the finished product the new maid had accomplished. "You looked lovely." He commented, hoping for a smile, but got none.

"Thank you." Sage grabbed her matching fan and bag and walked out of her room past her father and down to the front hall.

Garret followed with a less then happy expression on his face. He wasn't pleased at all with how his daughter was behaving and he was all the more happy to know that the thieves that had done this to his daughter had been caught that afternoon in a small port north of Jamaica. They would be in Port Majesty's heavily guarded fort jail cells by early dawn, and by late afternoon, if Garret had his way, they would all be hanging from the gallows. When the news had reached him via messenger boy, Garret had tipped him with a large pouch full of shillings and told him to take the rest of the week off.

James helped his sister into the carriage and was about to follow her in when he saw the gleam in his father's eyes.

"What is it, father?" He asked suspiciously.

"I have news, but I would prefer to keep it to myself until after dinner." The commodore fixed his features into something neutral.

"News of the Pirates?" James asked, knowing all too well.

"Yes, they've been caught, but not a word until after dinner." Garret spoke in hushed tones. "I will let the governor know then he can announce it to the table, after the news of Sage and Dominick's engagement of course." Garret beamed.

"Yes, about that father." James began.

"No more, we'll be late." Garret ignored his son and jumped into the carriage.

James sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, and then jumped in and closed the carriage door.

* * *

.GD. 


	20. Chapter 20

I know the chapters seem to be a little smaller. I'm hoping to have a longer one writen right after this one, but school is starting and it's going to get intense with school work, but i will continue with this story as best I can. Don't even worry about it.

Enjoy this chapter.

* * *

They arrived just as the sun was setting beyond the horizon. There were candles burning in tall silver stands in the main hall of the Governor's house, which smelled of bees wax. Coats and cloaks were taken away when they walked through the grand double doors and they were soon ushered into a cozy and familiar sitting room where they enjoyed warm glasses of buttered rum.

"I always love the changing seasons." Bella beamed at her husband as she sat next to Sage. "The cooler air settles in and I'm able to enjoy the warm treats our cook is famous for." She sipped her drink and smiled warmly at the girl sitting next to her.

Sage sipped her drink and said nothing, nor did she smile or give any sign that she was listening.

James cleared his throat and gestured towards the door leading to the governor's office where he and Dominick made their escape before dinner.

Garret and Fredrick were in the middle of a heated discussion, completely oblivious to the goings on around them.

Sage sighed and put her drink down on the small coffee table in front of her.

"What's wrong darling?" Bella fussed. "Is your drink too hot?" She asked, putting down her own drink.

"No, it's fine." Sage looked into the eyes of her mother's best friend and gave her a tiny smile.

"Dear, I'm just going to take Sage into the other room to show her something. Have someone sent up to let us know when supper is ready, wont you?" Bella spoke as she stood and tugged Sage with her to the door that led to the hall.

"Of course." The governor half nodded before going back to his hushed conversation with the commodore.

"Now, I want you to tell me what has you in such a mood." Bella pulled Sage's arm through hers and walked slowly up the main staircase to the second floor.

"Nothing's wrong." Sage looked away.

"Nonsense." Bella insisted. "I helped bring you into this world, and I've been here all of your life since, I know when something is bothering you, sweetheart." Bella pat Sage's hand and ushered into the upper floor sitting room attached to the master bedroom.

Sage sat on a plush blue Victorian chaise with Bella and watched as a maid scurried in to fix a fire and light a few candles before rushing out again to leave them to their talk.

"This past month has been a frightening one." Bella commented as she folded her hands in her lap. "There was not a night I slept through without being woken from a dreadful nightmare that you might not return."

"I wasn't harmed." Sage began. She wanted this, a woman to talk to, a mother. "They were kind to me." She looked desperately into Bella's eyes and saw intrigue.

"Go on." Bella nodded.

"I know they may steal for a living and that's wrong, but something about these people made me want to forgive them for all their wrong doings." Sage got up to pace as she spilled her thoughts. "They live like kings, but they own close to nothing." Sage let a small smile splay across her face. "There's this girl aboard, the Captain's sister, her name is Dot and she is so unique." Sage smiled again. "She collects exotic animals and is so caring, she was like a sister to me when I was there." Sage watched as Bella took in the information. "Then there's Sam." She began pacing again. "He cooks better then any chef money can buy and he was the oldest on board. He was like a father to everyone, always there to help. And Moose. What a womanizer he was, but there was something innocent about him and he was easy to be around and talk to." She stopped for a moment and watched as the maid brought in tea. "There were these two giant twins. They were broadly built but lacking in brains." She laughed. "There was also someone I hardly had time to meet, his name was Skunk, don't ask." Sage added at Bella's questioning look. Sage sat again and her face took on a more solemn look. "Then there was Falcon." She looked down at her hands, which felt cold in the warm room.

"I heard about the dreams you had on your way home, about you calling out in your sleep for a Falcon." Bella nodded knowingly. "You have feelings for him." She placed a hand on Sage's cheek. "My poor darling girl." She let Sage's head fall on her shoulder as the girl shook with tears that had been locked away until now.

"I love him so much, Bella." Sage sobbed. "I don't know why, or how, but I want him back." Sage shook from head to toe with sobs. "There was something about him that I can't explain. He was so different from all the men here." She looked up. "He was so free spirited and daring. Even though sometimes he was rude and harsh, I know now that was only the witch possessing him." She huffed out in one breath.

"What witch?" Bella asked perplexed.

Sage straightened right away and looked questioningly at Bella.

"How long did you know my mother was ill?" She switch the conversation quickly and noticed right away when Bella tensed that she was scared.

"How did you know about that?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"How long?" Sage pressed.

"We knew only months before she drowned that she was sick." Bella looked away as small tears began to form.

"Did my father know?" Sage stayed strong and denied any tears that wanted to spill.

Bella shook her head 'no' and looked sadly into Sage's eyes.

"Your mother made me promise not to tell anyone. She didn't want to upset your father, he was so stressed at the time." Bella added. "She was such a hard headed woman, and stubborn." Bella let a small smile escape. "Just like you." She watched Sage smile too.

"Before James and Dominick found me, I was shown everything about your's and my mother's secret." Sage stood again. "I was also informed that she hadn't drowned." She watched the surprise hit Bella like a bullet. "She was taken to the exact place I was found. A witch had saved her from her watery grave only to keep her hostage to perform a spell that was unsuccessful, due to my mother's condition." Sage frowned and shook her head. "Unfortunately, I was the perfect candidate for that spell." She didn't notice her hands had fisted so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

"What did she do to you?" Bella stood too and took Sage into her arms. "Did she hurt you, Sage?" She asked with a horrifying feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"No." Sage pulled back, needing the space. "I know I might seem crazy to be saying this but, she turned herself into me." Sage shuddered.

"What do you mean?" Bella looked confused.

"She is walking around in my body, so to speak." Sage made large gestures with her hands.

"That's impossible." Bella sat as her face took on a white complexion.

"I would think so, but I've seen otherwise." Sage sat beside her mother figure. "She has this glass ball, and with it she was able to find my mother, and me." Sage pressed. "With that ball she has a hold over Falcon, and god knows what else she is cable of doing with it." Sage looked shaken at the thought of the mystical object.

"Sage, this is all quite impossible." Bella looked sadly at her best friends youngest child. "Your mother drowned." Bella insisted.

"No, she didn't." Sage looked angry and confused. "Didn't you hear me?" Sage raised her voice. "Why don't you believe me?" She all but yelled.

"Sage, I know you've been through a lot, and perhaps it's wearing on you. I want you to rest tomorrow." Bella stood when there was a knock at the door.

Sage watched as Bella walked straight backed to the door, as though she was in a daze. Something wasn't right.

"Dinner is served, my lady." The maid said quickly before disappearing again.

"Shall we?" Bella asked in a singsong voice.

Sage stood angrily and brushed past her.

They arrived in the small family dinning hall just as the boys were.

"Dinner smells wonderful." Fredrick sniffed the air vigorously. "Had a nice chat did you ladies?" He asked happily as his wife took her seat to the left side of the head of the table where he sat.

"Yes." Bella smiled dreamily then kissed his cheek.

"I'm glad you two had time to catch up." He smiled warmly as Garret sat to his right followed by Dominick then Sage. James sat beside Bella to his left.

Dominick placed his hand over Sage's under the table and gave her a brief smile before bowing his head for grace.

Sage wanted to get up and run as fast as she could to the jungle away from everyone.

"Thank you lord for blessing us and our house, and for bringing our Sage back to us in health and good spirits." Fredrick thanked.

"Amen." Bella sang then quieted as their food was placed in front of them. "Oh, good. Food is my favourite toy." She giggled before picking up a handful of mashed potatoes to throw at Garret.

"Bella, what in gods name?" The governor swore as he was barely missed by two pea pods, which Bella had thrown, in his direction.

"What are you doing mum?" Dominick laughed out loud as his mother giggled and threw more food.

"I don't know." She sighed. "Please stop me." She giggled again before groaning and fainting back in her chair.

"Bella!" Everyone was out of his or her chairs and at her side.

"Dominick, fetch the doctor!" Fredrick fanned his hand in front of her face as colour began to flood back to her cheeks.

"I don't need a doctor." Bella whispered as she came around. "I just need some brandy and a dark room and sleep." She held her hand to her forehead.

"I'll help you up." Fredrick picked her up with ease and began to walk to the door leading to the hall. "Sorry, I- " He broke off at a loss for words.

"Go on Fred, we'll wait in the parlor." Garret assured him with an understanding look.

"What on earth just happened?" Dominick looked amused over the fear that had swamped him during his mother's fainting spell.

"No idea." James smiled, remembering his father's look of fear as potato flew for his face. The man could shoot down an entire army, but put potato on his face and he'll crumble like a baby.

"I think I know." Sage spoke to herself.

"What was that?" Dominick asked, but was ignored as Sage went to sit in a corner by the large fireplace. "She hates me." He slumped over in a chair.

"No she doesn't." James assured him.

"Well she doesn't love me." Dominick complained.

"Give her time mate." James pat him on the shoulder as he glanced towards his sister by the fire.

They all sat in silence for twenty minutes before the governor joined them.

"She's feeling a bit ill." He looked pale and nervous. "I've called for the doctor but he's busy delivering a baby." He wiped his sweaty palms on his dinner jacket. "She said she can wait for morning, but I don't know." He looked lost and scared like a small child.

"She'll be fine." Garret insisted. "She's a strong woman." He handed the governor a large glass of brandy.

"Thank you." He accepted the glass and took one generous gulp.

"We should go." Garret spoke quietly. "We'll let you rest. I'll come over tomorrow and see how you're all doing." He placed a strong hand on the governor's shoulder. "She'll be fine." He smiled strongly before gesturing for his children to follow him.

"I really am sorry for all this." Fredrick spoke mostly to Sage. "This was supposed to be a welcome back, a sort of celebration for getting through it all." He looked down at her apologetically.

"I'm not so sure we're through it all just yet." Sage frowned as she looked up at the window where Bella slept soundly in the master bedroom before giving him a peck on the cheek. "I'll be by tomorrow with flowers." With that she gave the governor and his son one last wave and hopped into her family's carriage and headed home.

* * *

.GD.


	21. Chapter 21

Sorry for the long wait. The next chapter is going to get a little complicated so sorry in advance for the time it will take me to write it.

Enjoy.

* * *

When Sage finally reached her room, she could barely stand while she was helped out of her dress and into a nightgown. When the maid had left the room after fussing over the fire, Sage was able to let go of the breath she had been mentally holding since the whole dinner disaster. 

With sleep being the last thing in mind, Sage climbed tiredly back out of bed and walked into her small sitting room. She pulled out her old trunk and found an old oil lamp and a ratty old cloak. She tucked the cloak under her arm and quickly scurried out of her room and down the stairs without making a single sound.

Once she was outside she walked over to the stables and quickly used one of the outer wall lamps beside the barn doors to light her lamp. She fastened the cloak around her nightwear-clad body then hurried into the jungle.

The journey was hard to make in nothing but a gown and small slippers but she managed, making note of fallen branches and such for the walk back.

A deep sigh of relief escaped her lips when she finally made it through to the clearing that was her port Brave. She couldn't help the large smile that spread from ear to ear when she saw the small bonfire and Tom sitting by the shore.

Tom was just about to stand to fetch more wood for the pathetic fire when he heard the sound of kicked sand just behind him. He was up in a flash and brandishing his sword, and just as quickly dropping it to scoop his friend into a bear hug.

"I can't believe you're here." Tom laughed as he held Sage firmly in his arms.

"I would say the same thing, if I were breathing properly." Sage also laughed then coughed when his hold truly became a problem.

"Sorry, it's just," He broke off to look at her with a goofy grin, "it's really good to see you." He added before leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"It's good to see you too." Sage said, not noticing his silly blush in the dark. "Quite a fire you've built." Sage noted the pitiful flames struggling to climb higher.

"I was about to get more wood." Tom blushed again then smiled when Sage giggled. "It's good to hear you laugh." He commented as they walked along the beach in search of more wood.

"I know I haven't been laughing so much these past few days, it's just I'm still getting used to being back and having everyone watching me like a hawk." Sage grumbled.

Tom gave her an understanding and apologetic smile as they picked up a few sticks and a couple of large pieces of dried driftwood.

They went back to the fire and built it up until it was roaring and giving off enough heat to ward off the coming cold of autumn. Sage laid down her cloak and sat in front of the fire with Tom by her side. He asked how she was doing, as everyone did, and then asked if she wanted to talk about what happened. Sage spent a good two hours telling him about everything, starting with the ball then working her way through to the incident that happened at dinner, leaving out, of course, her feelings for a certain pirate.

"So you think this witch is causing Mrs. Wrime to act so strange?" He asked, intrigued.

"Yes!" Sage threw her hands up. "You see, she has this magic globe, and don't look at me like that." She warned when Tom raised his brow at her. "It gives her the power to take control of people, amongst other things." Sage shivered, thinking of Falcon.

"And she made the governor of Port Majesty start a food fight because…?" Tom broke off.

"I don't know!" Sage exclaimed.

"And she's walking around in a, lets say, a Sage costume?" Tom asked, trying very hard to understand.

"Exactly!" Sage smiled when he seemed to be catching on.

"So how do I know you aren't her?" He raised his brown once more.

"You don't, you just have to trust me." Sage smiled sweetly.

"Right." Tom blew out an exasperated breath.

"Look, I'm mostly telling you all this because I need a great favor from you." She turned to look into the fire.

"Such as?" Tom inquired.

"I need your help to steal information from my father." She looked concentrated and ignored Tom when he seemed to be choking on his own breath. "I need to know if they've found the Widow yet, and if they have, where they'll be taking it." She finished.

"Steal, from the Commodore?" Tom gulped in air. "Are you mad?" He asked when she only smiled.

"It's quite simple, but I need one other person." Sage looked straight at him this time, her eyes staring intensely into his.

"What's your plan?" Tom asked worriedly.

"I need you to go into his office at the fort while I make some sort of diversion elsewhere, that way none of the guards will walk in on you as you search." She explained.

"Why can't I make the diversion?" Tom pouted.

"Because, you'll only muck it up." Sage patted him on the knee. "Besides, you're good at finding things. Remember when you found my pearl hair comb in the bakery after we had accidentally let a pig run a mess in the store front?" Sage laughed.

"I remember clearly, you laughing as the baker chased the pig all the way into the deli next door and me being blamed for the whole mess." Tom didn't look impressed.

"We were such troublesome children." Sage smiled in remembrance.

Tom looked at her content features and sighed. "What's the information for?" He asked, finally giving in.

"I need to know if they've found them or not." Sage sobered immediately. "I need to help them." Sage continued.

"But why?" Tom asked, completely bewildered.

"I can't let that witch get away with this." Sage said it as though it were completely obvious, leaving out the fact that she was deeply in love with the possessed pirate captain once again. "She took my mother away from me, Tom." Sage looked deeply into his eyes.

"I'll help you, no questions asked." Tom wrapped an arm around her as they sat and enjoyed a few more minutes with the fire.

"I should probably get home." Sage started as she stood.

"I'll walk you home." Tom offered as he doused the fire with water from the ocean.

They walked in silence, only speaking to let each other know of a fallen branch on the ground or of a prickly bush in the path. Once they were back on Edwards property Tom said farewell and left Sage to sneak back into her house, intending on being back at the manor early in the morning to carry out their task.

Sage made it to her room without waking anyone and quickly slipped into bed and fell fast asleep.

Morning came soon after. Sage woke feeling rested and refreshed and in a better mood. She dressed in what she had planned out to be her 'distraction' dress. She wore something slim-fitting, and very generously cut when it came to her chest area. She was the first to breakfast and finished eating before her father and brother even made it to the dinning room.

"Where are you going, Miss?" The new maid asked.

"I'm going into town, would you tell my Father I'll be home before supper? Thank you." Sage left through the front door and didn't look back.

With the adrenalin pumping, Sage made it quickly to the end of the drive and met Tom, who appeared to be going through a small anxiety attack.

"Are you alright?" Sage asked with mild concern.

"This is a bad idea." Tom stuttered, making Sage giggle to herself.

"Oh don't worry Tom, you'll do fine." Sage patted him on the back and gave him a slight push to get him moving down the road with her. They came to a stop in front of Tom's Father's prized black stallion.

"If my father knew I was using him for something like this…" Tom gulped and became even paler, if possible.

"Such a beauty." Sage gently ran her hand up the horse's face. "I wouldn't have asked you to bring him, but if I had taken the carriage, my Father would have become too suspicious." She explained.

"I know." Tom took a deep breath before offering Sage his hand.

Sage hopped onto the saddle easily in her provocative dress.

"Right." Tom put his hand up to block the already hot Caribbean sun from his eyes as he glanced up at her on his Father's stallion. "And what are you wearing?" He gasped, only now noticing the tight dress, a deep blush evident on his young face.

"I told you, I'm going to make a distraction." Sage laughed as he looked down and shook his head.

"You'll be the death of me, Sage." He hopped on behind her and they were off at a moderate pace to the Fort.

Once they were there, Sage jumped off and climbed the stone steps to the upper level of the Fort to begin her 'distraction'.

Tom rode ahead until he came to a stone box built into the stone walls of the Fort. This was Commodore Garret Edwards' office. Tom tied his Father's mount to a hold and walked around the corner of one of the walls to look over the village below. There was a bitter breeze blowing in from the ocean, and it gave Tom an unsettling feeling.

"Hurry up, Sage." He muttered to himself.

"Are you lost, Son?" A soldier had come around the corner and spotted Tom by himself.

"Oh, no I was just, enjoying the view." Tom came up lamely with a half-wit excuse.

"You shouldn't be here." The soldier stood two feet higher then Tom, with broad shoulders and deep intense brown eyes half covered by black hair.

"Yes Sir." Tom stuttered. He was about to turn and run for the hills, but halted when he heard Sage screaming.

"Wait here!" The soldier ordered as he ran off with a dozen other guards to the upper level.

Tom stood stone still. Was that Sage's distraction? If so, he had to give her points later. If not, there were, at the very least, twenty or so guards running to the damsel's aid, she'd be fine.

Turning around, Tom came face to face with a large and heavy brown door. He quickly pulled out a pick and a small flat piece of metal he had lifted from the smithy that morning and began picking the lock.

Within seconds he was in and searching. He started with the very large, very proud desk that was centered at the back wall of the very spacious office. It was littered with parchment and quills and other such office supplies. There was a silver frame on one side of the desk.

Tom stood for a moment to gaze into the eyes of the Commodore's late wife's eyes. Sage looked so much like her mother.

Turning away from the silver frame and haunting beauty within it, Tom went back to looking for any document that might be of help to his dearest friend.

"Where are you?" He huffed in frustration as the minutes ticked by without any luck in finding the papers.

Tom pulled open another drawer and swore as a sharp blade fell onto his barely-covered foot from its underside.

Crouching low, Tom could see that it had been held in place by a bit of leather and tacks before, but the leather had worn down and allowed it to fall out of place. He picked it up and looked for anything that could help him replace it in its proper hiding place.

Just as he was about to give up and put it back down on the floor the door to the office burst open.

Tom mentally killed himself for squeaking.

"Thomas, what on earth are you doing in my Father's office?" James questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I was just, waiting for the Commodore." Tom stuttered and sputtered and begged god himself to strike him with lightning and be done with it.

"What business have you with the Commodore?" James smirked as he noticed the light shake in Tom's tiny steps.

"I wanted to ask him…about…training?" Tom offered.

"Training?" James held in a laugh as Tom bumped into one of the stiff chairs and sat subconsciously.

"Yeah, you know…for training…to be a guard." With the tiniest bit of courage Tom kept the story going.

"You want to be a Port Majesty guard?" James rubbed a hand over his day old beard. The stubble was rugged enough to have most of the girls he past on the way to the Fort blushing and giggling behind their fans.

"Yeah, I figure with the incident we just had, you know with your sister, Port Majesty might be in need of new blood." Tom gulped as James gave him a withering look.

"I see." James tried not to take it to heart, but he always took it badly when the defenses of Port Majesty came up.

"I guess he isn't here then." Tom jumped up and made for the door with a cat like speed that had James holding in another laugh.

"I'll tell him you stopped by." He yelled out the open door as Tom mounted and rode through the Fort's gate and away. He knew that everything that was just told to him was a lie, but he also knew that Tom was as harmless as a piece of lint. That didn't stop him from keeping an eye on the boy though.

Safely up the road, Tom dismounted and began to breathe again.

"God, that was close." He sighed.

"Did you get it?" Sage asked quietly from behind him, making him scream.

"Don't do that!" He rubbed a hand over his chest where his heart pumped too fast.

"Sorry, are you alright?" Sage sympathized, knowing full well that her brother had walked in on her friend. "I saw James go in, but I didn't know you were still in there."

"Well he didn't see me doing much." Tom announced. "How did the distraction go?" He asked noticing her arm looked raw near the elbow.

"I'll just say, these guards are complete pigs and I taught them a lesson. I was going to just pretend to faint and that would be that. Then one of them decided to pinch me in a rather inappropriate place and my elbow may have hit him in the eye, chest and maybe his groin too…for good measure." Sage smiled foolishly. "So, did you find anything?" She asked, changing the subject when Tom only gapped.

"There was nothing." Tom looked apologetic.

"Nothing?" Sage cried.

"Sorry." Tom offered as Sage sat down on the ground, defeated.

"Don't apologize, it isn't your fault." Sage smiled up at him weakly. "I just wish I knew where they were." She looked down at the ground and sighed.

"If it's meant, you'll find him." Tom sat down with her and gave her a friendly nudge. "How about we take this great stead for a ride to the beach and have ourselves some fun while the sun lasts?" He asked, watching a smile grow on Sage's face. "I heard there was a storm coming this way from the north. We could sit in your barn and watch the lightning hit the sky, like we used to." Tom smiled as Sage hugged him.

"You always know just what to suggest when I'm feeling off." She sighed, glad to have such a great friend. "Come over after supper. I'll have hot cocoa and cakes for us in the barn." She stood and gave Tom one last smile before waving goodbye and making her way home to clean up and get ready for dinner.

* * *

.GD. 


	22. Chapter 22

I'm sorry it has been taking me so long to update. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Happy Samhain.

* * *

The storm came swiftly and with great rage. Purple, black and deep gray stained the once blue sky.

Sage silently prayed she would make it home before the skies opened and drenched her in a cold rain, explaining that to her father would take too much energy. At the same time, she wouldn't care if she were soaked in cold water. Her body was already numb from the disappointment of her plan to find Falcon.

This storm came just in time, in her opinion. It reflected her mood perfectly. She was cold and angry all the time, and without knowing Falcon's location she felt as though she could scream louder then the thunder in rage.

Just as she was about to step onto the Edwards property the clouds gave and angry cry and rain came crashing down all around her.

"Bloody hell!" She cried as her hair dripped around her face and her dress soaked through.

"Miss Sage, what are you doing out in such angry weather?" It was John, cloaked in an old brown leather rain guard, holding a bucket of pig feed.

"I was just on my way home from the Market when this started up." Sage pointed up with her index finger.

John raised a brow at her choice of day dress.

"Just to the Market and back then?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yes, now I really should go get dried off before dinner." Sage side stepped him and hurried away.

"Strange Lass." John shook his head then headed to the barn to feed the Christmas pig.

As the hour dragged on the storm only worsened. Sage sat in the parlor staring out at the dreary day drag on. She was warm and dry now in a soft green dinner dress awaiting her brother and father's return from town.

"Miss, would you like some tea?" The maid walked in holding a silver tray with a steamy cup of tea and biscuits.

"No thank you." Sage turned away from the window to give the maid a polite smile then turned her attention back to the window.

She could see the dark shadows of the carriage and her brother on his horse approaching the house. She stood and walked to the foyer to great her soaked brother and dripping father.

"You two, go put on some dry clothes, you'll catch your death." She scolded with a hint of a smile.

"Yes, Ma'am." James grinned and leaned forward, threatening to hug her.

"James, don't you dare." Sage yelped and jumped back.

"Now children." Garret came up behind the both of them and to Sage's dismay, pulled them both into a sopping tight hug.

"Father!" Sage cringed as water fell from his hair and into her face.

"Yes my sweet innocent child who was in the house all day?" Garret winked at her with a knowing smile.

"James told you, didn't he?" Sage focused her attention to the ground.

"Sage, what were you thinking?" Garret began as James crept away to change. "I'm having a hard enough time as it is convincing everyone that you are in your right mind as it is, and no, James wasn't the one to tell me. Dominick was at the fort this morning and he saw you, apparently, going a little crazy on two of my best guards." He roared.

"Best perverts more like." Sage muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" He frowned.

"Nothing." She sighed.

"Sage, Darling," he put his right hand on her left cheek, "I love you and I've only just got you back, don't make me watch as they take you away to the asylum." He watched as she struggled for words.

"I'm not crazy Father," Sage looked up into his eyes, "I just needed to know where Falcon is." She looked away again as the Commodore was overcome with anger.

"That Pirate is on his way to the holding cells awaiting his time with the gallows." Garret paced away from his daughter.

"What?" A hand flew instantly to her throat where the air seemed impossible to ingest.

"His ship was caught last night." He was cut short.

"Last night, and you didn't tell me?" Sage yelled.

"Sage, Darling." He tried.

"Don't Sage, Darling me!" She walked past him. "I'm not hungry anymore." She then left through the back terrace doors.

"What's for dinner?" James quipped when he reached the bottom stair, then seeing the look of distress in his father's eyes asked, "Where's Sage?"

"She wont be joining us for dinner." He shook his head when his son began to protest. "She needs time alone." They both walked in silence to the dinning room.

Sage sat on a pile of soft straw in the back most stalls in the barn waiting for Tom to arrive.

"What do I do now?" Sage whispered to herself quietly. "I'm so lost."

Just then a frosty breeze floated past Sage, the ends of her hair danced freely. Although she was cold, she felt comforted in the wind that played with her hair. She stood and walked to the doors, intent on closing them, but when she stood in the large open door frame the wind seemed to wrap itself around her in a comforting hug.

She closed her eyes and smelled warm tropical flowers and fresh sea air. "Mum?" She opened her eyes to a dark cloudy night, rain and thunder.

The wind pushed her back into the barn until she was standing in front of her father's horse. The reigns hanging on the wall beside her began to swing from side to side.

"What could I do?" She asked the breeze and thought herself mad. "I'm supposed to be a lady, sitting in the parlour when my husband comes home, knitting for the baby." She looked down at the straw beneath her feet. "What should I do?" She asked.

The wind picked up and the bridal fell at her feet.

Sage picked up the leather and metal and looked at the magnificent horse before her. With in the blink of an eye she had it saddle and ready to ride.

"I hope Father can forgive me." She whispered to the horse as she mounted.

A quick kick and the horse was flying out into the rain. She was a flash in the night. No one in the house noticed her ride out onto the road. Tom was just at the gates when she rode past, ignoring his shouts to stop. She had only one thought in her mind: 'Get to the crew.'

The rain was cold and slick on her face, but she didn't lessen the speed until she reached her destination.

Back at the Edwards property Tom was a panic. He rushed to the door and knocked ten sharp times.

A maid answered.

"I'm sorry young man, but the Master and his Son of the house are eating supper." She answered politely and began to close the door.

Tom placed a firm hand on the door, stopping her from closing the door.

Frightened the maid stepped back.

"Please, I must speak to the Commodore." Tom walked in, dripping on the marble floor. "He may want to know his daughter has rode off into the night."

"One moment please." The maid bowed out of the foyer and into the kitchen.

She returned momentarily with a large mad holding a nasty looking butcher knife.

Tom's courage was instantly drained and he began to shake.

"I'll ask you one more time to leave, young man." The maid said a bit smugly from behind the cook.

"Please, this is very important." Tom pleaded. "Sage has gone and I'm afraid she might do something bad." He gave the maid his most honest and adorable look that his mother had fallen victim to many-a-times.

"Oh alright." She threw her hands up and opened the dinning room door. "Sorry Sir, a boy here to see you, he says it's important." The maid and the cook left the Commodore to deal with Tom.

"Why Tom, what could be so important to disturb me from my meal?" He asked in a friendly tone.

"It's Sage, Sir." Tom took his old ratty rain hat off and held it in his hands.

"What about her?" Garret tensed a little.

"She's left, Sir." Tom switched his weight from one foot to the other.

"Where has she gone?" The Commodore grabbed his coat and put it on forgetting about dinner completely.

"I'm guessing she went back to the fort, Sir." Tom stepped to the side as Garret opened the door.

"Damn!" Garret swore.

"Father, is something wrong?" James came wandering out of the dinning room.

"Sage has gone." Garret looked out at the storm. "John, get my horse!" He ordered when he saw John walking around the corner of the house.

"Your horse is gone, Sir." John looked apologetic.

"Then saddle one of the others!" Sounding desperate now Garret swung back around to storm into his study.

"Saddle mine as well John." James dismissed the old man then followed his father into the house, followed close behind by Tom. "What is our plan?" He asked his Commodore.

"Bring her back here for a thorough punishment." Garret snarled as he attached his sword belt.

"What could she be thinking?" James asked no one in particular.

"She wants to save Falcon." Tom spoke up.

"What was that?" Garret walked over to him in an intimidating manor.

"She wants to save Falcon, Sir." Tom swallowed hard.

"That bloody Pirate!" Garret spat.

"Sir, she is bothered by something, and I believe he is the key to making her better." Tom stood tall. "If it helps her by seeing him, then I'd be happy."

Garret placed both his hands palm down on his desk and sighed.

"I would do anything to have her back to how she was, but I don't want this to be the way." He sighed again and regained his steady composure. "Lets just go get her. We'll talk to her about this once she's safe and home." He walked solemnly out into the dark rain, mounting his horse gracefully, followed by his Son and Tom. With the rain hitting them like little knives they road into the night at a fast pace.

_God give me strength_ was the last thought the Commodore had before his mind went numb with fear.

Miles in front of them they could see tall flames licking the sky at the Fort.

* * *

.GD.


	23. Chapter 23

One more Chapter in less then a week!

Enjoy.

* * *

The pounding of horse hooves was louder then the thunder cracking above her head. Yet even louder were the shouts and cries of terrified people all around her.

Sage came to a halt and dismounted the moment she saw the red and orange flames eating the Fort. It was the most mesmerizing thing she had ever seen. Amidst the music of rain and thunder and the lightning there were dancing flames on rooftops, sprouting from windows and crawling on the ground. It simply took her breath away and left her in a trance.

A woman screamed for her child who was trapped inside their burning home. A cat hissed and growled then ran from the heat of the burning town. Three men were running towards the Fort carrying large buckets of seawater shouting commands and getting people to stand back, but Sage didn't hear any of it.

She crumbled to her knees in front of what used to be the prisoners cells. Now engulfed in flames it resembled a gateway to hell.

"Falcon." She looked on in horror as the stones that made up the walls turned black with burn.

"Yes?" His depressingly beautiful husky voice answered behind her.

Sage turned and was on her feet within mere seconds. Her eyes were clear and wide in surprise. There he stood in all his devastatingly good looks. His dark hair falling in his eyes, his mouth formed a half smile and his eyes the colour of white snow.

"It can't be. How did you get out?" She managed to choke out.

But Falcon did not answer. Instead he stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her into a long and hungry kiss.

Sage melted against his body. The heat of the fire and warmth of his kiss had her dazed and completely spellbound.

"Come with me?" He demanded more then asked after pulling back and smiling at her.

She took his hand and let him lead her into the forest and away from the panic and horror of the burning Port.

Little did either of them know that a pair of furious blue eyes watched from a close distance.

Dominick followed them into the trees, remaining unseen and unheard as they venture deep into the rain forest.

Back in the city of flames, Garret, James and Tom dismounted. Many of the city's stronger men were getting the fires under control and calming others, which made the Commodore proud, but nothing could take his mind off his missing daughter.

"She has to be here somewhere." Garret looked around at the panicked faces of the people.

"Father, your horse." James pointed towards the edge of the eastern half of the fort close to the forest.

All three of them ran to the lone horse. They stared into the dark jungle, but it was too dark to see any sign of movement.

"James I'll take Tom and try to find a trail, a sign of foot prints. I need you to go and find anyone who can be spared to help us search." The Commodore held up a hand when James began to protest. "No one will listen to Tom, no offence," he added at the down look Tom had on his face.

"None taken." Tom lied.

"James, I need you to be fast." He added then gave his Son a nod.

James went off to find backup while Garret and Tom headed into the forest. "Tom, take this." Garret handed Tom a pistol. "If I say, I want you to shoot that boy Falcon, understand?"

"Yes Sir." Tom nodded.

"Good. I want this over and done with, once and for all." Garret frowned, the worry and stress of the past few months showing clearly on his face.

"Falcon, where are we going?" Sage asked a little out of breath. They had been walking at a fast pace through mud and brush for near twenty minutes and it was starting to rain even harder.

"Not much further." Falcon said quickly, his grip tightening on Sage's wrist.

"Falcon, you're hurting me." She frowned as her bones began to grind beneath his grasp.

"Quiet." He hissed.

Sage gasped as she looked into his glowing eyes.

"Where is the Witch?" She asked the demonic spirit inside Falcon's body.

"You'll see." He answered with a sneer.

"And the crew?" She asked defiantly.

"Alive." He grinned. "For now." He laughed then pulled her through a thick patch of bushes into a clearing.

It was the secret beach she and Tom had found and named. Falcon pulled her down the path to the lower area of the beach towards a large burning fire, but it wasn't an ordinary fire. This fire was green and burning tall with nothing beneath it, no logs, and no coal.

"What is it?" Sage asked as they approached.

"Silence!" Falcon barked as he threw her down onto the sand.

"Sage?" Dot called from Sage's left. The young Pirate and the rest of the Crew looked on in complete confusion. There before the tree where they were tied was another Sage.

"Dot." The real Sage scrambled to her feet and tried to run and untie them, but as she approached the tree she was dragged back by Falcon.

"Silly girl." The Witch cackled as the Crew all looked on from one Sage to the other.

Sage struggled against the possessed Falcon.

"You are no match for my magic." She purred as she walked towards Sage and Falcon.

"Let them go!" Sage demanded.

The Witch laughed and kicked Sage in the shin.

"Get away from her you foul wretch!" Sam growled.

"What are you going to do, you're all tied up?" The Witch smiled and waved her hand and in a blink her magic ball was hovering before her. She ran her hand over it and pointed at Sam. He began to choke instantly.

Falcon looked on in enjoyment at first, but then his eyes refocused and turned their beautiful blue colour again.

"No." He coughed as his chest pounded in protest.

"My pet?" The Witch stopped instantly to sooth Falcon back to his former state.

"Sorry my lady." The drone answered. "My chest is pained." He leaned into her embrace and began to kiss her neck. "You make me stronger." He sighed and breathed in her evil aroma.

"There my Darling." She kissed his lips affectionately and made the real Sage sick. "Why don't you go tie the little brat up?" She suggested playfully.

"Yes mistress." He kissed her hand then bowed back and pulled Sage to a tree next to that where the Crew was tied.

"Falcon, I know you can hear me." She looked at his face, though he refused to make eye contact with her. "You must fight it Falcon, fight it!" She struggled against his tight grip on her arm.

"I said silence!" He yelled and slapped her hard enough to break the skin on her cheek.

Dot called out in protest from her restraints on the other tree, but her brother ignored her.

"Sam the plan you were telling me about earlier yesterday?" She shuddered just thinking about it.

"Aye?" He said sadly.

"Can we still do it?" She blinked as more tears formed.

"I have a dagger strapped to my ankle, but I'll have to get loose and close enough to him for it to happen." He looked into her eyes.

"It's the only way." She said courageously. "He has to die, or he might kill someone." She shuddered again. "It's the only way." She repeated.

"Dot, he isn't your brother anymore." Sam comforted. "If there was any other way." He continued.

Dot looked away and tried her hardest to keep her eyes dry and mind clear.

"Dot, I would give my own life if it meant Falcon could come back to us." Sam finished.

"I know you would." Dot smiled.

Sam gave her an affectionate smile then turned his attention to his right side where Moose was skilfully cutting through rope with a sharp piece of glass he always carries on his person.

"How are the ropes coming Moose?" Sam asked as Moose worked relentlessly.

"They're coming." Moose swore as the glass nearly dropped from his steady hand. "The Widow is locked under guard in the northern port." He informed Sam of their ships situation. "Have you planned how we're to acquire it?" He swore again as the glass nicked his thumb.

"I've already got Skunk prepared for that task." Sam watched as the Sage look-a-like sauntered over to the floating green fire and laugh, Falcon following her close behind like a lovesick puppy. "As soon as we're free Skunk will take the two idiots and get the ship. They'll bring'er round here and we'll be off. We will make for India and lay low for a few months." Sam had it all planned out in his mind, down to every last detail.

"Why India?" Moose asked, though he wasn't complaining one bit. He quite liked the food and the women of the country.

"I have a friend who can help us find our feet there." Sam answered then quieted as the Witch began to chant.

"Soon my pet I shall have my revenge." The Witch sang as she threw her hands into the air. "That Port was only the beginning." She cackled. "Soon all of England shall burn!" She turned round and round and the fire mimicked her moves. The green flames grew taller and wider.

Sage and the Crew looked on in horror as a smoggy image of London appeared in the flames.

"Come my pet, London awaits us." She held out her hand for Falcon to take.

"Wait!" Sage cried from her tied up place on the tree.

"Yes?" The Witch asked impatiently.

"You're just going to leave us here?" Sage asked curiously.

"I'm a very busy woman and I like to get things done quickly." The Witch answered.

"But you haven't finished everything here." Sage countered.

"What do you mean?" Intrigued the Witch stepped back from the fire, which changed back from the image of London to nothing and sauntered over to Sage.

"Well, we're all still alive." She pointed out.

"And?" The witch bumped her hip out.

"And?" Sage said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And you're leaving for London to kill hundreds upon hundreds of people, why not start with us?" She spoke smoothly with no fear in her voice.

"Sage, what are you doing?" Dot hissed.

"Trust me." Sage whispered back. "I'm buying us time."

"Why you are a silly little girl, aren't you?" The Witch ran a pretty finger down Sage's bleeding cheek. "Or just very suicidal." She frowned.

"I think I'm a little bit of both." Sage answered. "You see I've always wanted to be something else." She went on and spared a glance to the Crew. "Though I haven't always known what, I've just always known I wanted to be something other then the perfect Lady society wanted me to be. And just recently this band of Pirates showed me a world of wonder and adventure and I realized that I wanted it, all of it. The adventure, the mystery, the danger even the romance of it all." She smiled at Falcon knowing deep down he could hear her. "But you took that away from me, just like you took my Mother." Her once happy expression turned to one of pure hate. "So now there is nothing left for me." She looked right into her own eyes. "If you're going to steal my body, mind-as-well steal my life too." She suggested in a pitiful manor.

"Sage, no!" Dot cried.

"You're so pathetic." The Witch spat. "Crying over loosing everything. Hah!" She walked closer to Sage so that her face was right in front of hers. "I lost my home and my beauty!" She growled. "I was once the most beautiful woman in my tribe, but after the fires your beloved country set in my home land." She paused for dramatic effect "Children would scream and cry when they looked upon my face! Then exiled for life to a desolate swamp land with nothing to eat but rats and nothing to drink but poisoning swamp water all because I sought revenge for the brutal murder of my people." She moaned.

Sage looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry you lost so much. And I'm also sorry to be the one to tell you this, but no matter what mask you where, you're still a very hideous person." She smirked.

The Witch's face contorted into something ghastly and she snarled before back handing Sage, knocking her out for a few seconds.

"Deal with her Falcon." The Witch demanded as she walked back to the green fire with her glowing orb hovering behind her.

Sage came around and had a hard time holding her head up straight. Her head was pounding and she was sure the cut on her cheek was bleeding even more now.

"Falcon, you must fight her magic." She mumbled as her head throbbed.

"I'll silence you once and for all." Falcon sneered holding a knifepoint between her second and third rib.

"I love you." Sage closed her eyes and a single glittering tear spilled down her cheek.

Falcon took a step back as terrible ripping pains overtook his chest. He dropped the knife and placed a hand over his heart as it thudded and pounded painfully. He screamed and yelled in agony.

"Falcon!" Dot cried as Moose finally cut them loose. She lurched forward but was held back by Sam.

"Stay back Dot." Sam pushed her into Moose's arms. He then watched as Skunk and the Twins creped into the forest unnoticed.

Sam then took out his dagger and cut Sage loose. "Are you really her?" He asked, still a little unsure.

"Yes." Sage said quickly before pushing past him to take hold of Falcon. "Falcon, you must fight." She brushed his hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead. "Fight for me, fight for us." She prayed for a miracle.

"Get away from him!" the Witch screeched.

Her glowing magic ball grew brighter then before and Falcon's eyes began to glow as well. His hands shot up and around Sage's neck. With the advantage of surprise he easily pinned her down and straddled her as he choked the life from her.

"Sam now!" Dot screamed as she struggled in Moose's arms.

"I…" Sam stood behind the boy he raised. The Son of a lost dear friend with a knife in his hand positioned to kill. "I can't." He hesitated.

"Sam he's killing her! He's killing her!" Dot screamed over and over.

"I can't!" He cried as the hand that held the weapon shook.

The Witch grew tired of watching the emotional struggle and with the disinterested flick of her wrist had the hand holding the blade plunging into its own body.

"Sam!" Dot crumbled in Moose's arms.

Falcon turned and watched as the man he would be proud to call father crumble to the sandy ground. His eyes cleared to their blue colour and the pain in his chest ebbed.

"Finish her!" The Witch ordered.

"No." Falcon let go of Sage and stood. Moose rushed over and helped Sage up; supporting all her weight he took her over to Dot and Sam.

"What?" The Witch waved her hand over the orb, but nothing happened. "What is this?" She shrieked.

"Your end." Falcon growled as he walked towards her.

She stepped back at the murderous glare in Falcon's eyes. Falcon took the opportunity to take the magical device that had him under her control in his hands and threw it into the green fire. It floated in the middle of the fire for a few seconds then melted into nothing and the green fire vanished.

The Witch began to scream and cry and shriek like a dieing animal. She fell to the floor and morphed back into the disgusting creature she was before her transformation into Sage's look-a-like.

"Falcon!" Dot cried as she held Sam's shaking body in her arms.

Falcon ran to Sam's side and took him from his sister. "Sam?" He whispered.

Sam opened his eyes slowly and smiled weakly. "There's my boy." He coughed.

"You're going to be fine." Falcon took the hand Sam had laying over the wound and paled at the amount of blood that gushed from the cut. "We'll get help for you." Falcon promised.

"No." Sam remained smiling. "I'm done." He took Dot's hand and Falcon's in one of his. "You're the best children I've ever had the pleasure looking after." He coughed again.

"We're the only children you've looked after." Dot stated with a watery smile and Sam laughed and reached up to pat her cheek.

"And the only children you'll continue raising." Falcon insisted. "You'll live longer yet." He looked around at the empty beach.

"No Falcon." Sam coughed once more. "I'll be going and seeing your parents now." He rasped, as his breath became short and heavy. "They'll be so proud once I tell them how well you've grown up." He closed his eyes as they became heavy too.

"No Sam." Dot cried.

"You look after your girls Falcon." Sam whispered. "And your crew." He smiled and then was gone.

* * *

.GD.


	24. Chapter 24

Dear Readers, I am so sorry it took so very long to update this story. This is the last chapter and I hope I didn't leave it horribly. I'm going to be starting the next story this weekend and it is definitely going to be amazing. I'm going to try something different though, I'll write the entire story first then just update a chapter every two-three days so you don't have to wait a whole year for a chapter, not that I would ever take a year to update.

Enjoy.

* * *

Sage stood back with Moose and watched as Dot and Falcon held the body of their lost guardian. A sudden rage filled her every bone and she was hit with the urge to cause the Witch that did this a lot of pain.

She pushed away from Moose, picked up Sam's fallen dagger and wandered through the rain over to the crumpled cowering body on the sand.

"Get up!" Sage ordered in even tones.

The Witch simply continued to quiver and moan.

"I said get up!" Sage used her foot to kick the Witch until she rolled over onto her back.

"Please." She whimpered as rain fell into her eye. "Have mercy." She begged.

"Did you have mercy on my Mother?" Sage continued to use calm and even tones. "Did you have mercy on Sam, or Falcon when you poisoned his mind?" She glared ice-cold daggers into the one good eye the Witch was looking out of.

"Please." She rasped.

"Look who's pathetic now?" Sage frowned down at the pitiful existence on the sand.

Falcon held his sister close and rocked her gently back and forth then took the time to look at his surroundings. He noticed Moose standing alone and wondered where Sage had gone, and if she was OK.

"Moose, where is Sage?" He asked quietly.

Moose looked up from Sam's body realizing Sage had gone. "I don't know." He said scratching his head. "There." He pointed vigorously towards the Witch.

Falcon was up like a shot. Moose took hold of Dot and Falcon was running as fast as his weary body would take him to Sage.

"Sage." He shouted.

But she ignored him. This foul creature would pay for what she did.

Sage knelt beside her and grabbed the front of her dress; thunder and lightning flashing and booming round her. "I hope you rot in hell." She whispered right into the Witch's ear before she plunged the blade into her black heart.

"Sage, no!" Falcon fell beside her and quickly took the blade from her hand.

Sage looked down at the blood on her hands and began to shake. Realization of what she just did was a terrible pain in her very soul.

"She hurt you so much." She whispered. "I just wanted it to end." She closed her eyes as Falcon wrapped her in his arms.

"Its over." Falcon kissed the top of her head as she shook in his arms. "Its all over." He looked over as Moose and Dot walked over. Dot looked down with swollen red eyes and Moose looked solemn, something he had never looked before. "Its over." He repeated.

"Captain, the ship is here." Moose reported.

Falcon looked out at the stormy waters and saw his beloved ship floating. "Moose take Sam's body to the ship." He ordered. "Dot you go with him." He said and knew she didn't have the energy to refuse. He watched as Moose and Dot walked back to Sam's body and carefully cover it in Moose's large over coat before lifting it and carrying it over to where Ratch was pulling a rowboat up onto shore.

Sage looked up from her position in Falcon's arms and saw the struggle in his eyes. "You need to go." She said calmly.

"What?" Falcon looked down at her and smoothed a stray hair away from her face.

"You need to leave before my Father finds you." She leaned into his chest and inhaled his cent.

"I don't want to leave you." He held her even tighter than before.

"You won't have to for very long." Sage said.

"What do you mean?" He asked as the rain began to slow down to a light dribble.

"You will leave then come back to this very spot at midnight tomorrow night." Sage leaned back and smiled weakly. "That should give me time to say goodbye."

Falcon's eyes widened. "Sage, I don't want you to leave your family for me." He couldn't imagine the sacrifice she was suggesting.

"I love my Father and my Brother, and I know they both love me, but my heart is with you and the sea." Sage leaned in and kissed him again.

"If its what you want." Falcon stood and helped her to her feet.

"It is." She smiled again to reassure him.

"Then I'll be back." He kissed her one last time before running over to the rowboat. It tore him in two to leave her alone on the beach with blood on her hands and with the corps of a monster, but he would be back for her, then they could be together.

Sage sat back down and watched the sails unfold and the Widow sail farther and farther away. Soon this would all be over and they would be free to be together, and she would be free to sail the seas for the rest of her life, doing what she now realized was what her heart truly desired.

She sat for twenty silent minutes then turned when she heard her Father, Brother, Tom and Dominick rushing towards her. She stood and smiled faintly as they pulled her away from the bloody corps on the ground.

Questions were being shot from everyone's mouths. Sage merely put up her hand and they fell silent. She looked at them all as they stood in front of her, all with worried looks on their faces.

"I'm fine." She smiled then continued before anyone could interrupt. "That thing," she gestured to the Witch, "is the reason for everything that has happened this past little while." She said. "The Crew of the Widow Maker are not to be blamed for any of this." She looked at her father, "They saved my life, and helped destroy a terrible monster who might have killed us all." She threw her arms around her father and smiled. "Its over."

"Men, take it away." The Commodore ordered two men to take the body out of sight. He needed to know the rest of the story, but decided now was not the time. For now he had his daughter back, and that's all that mattered. "Darling are you sure you're alright?" He asked Sage as he held her back to inspect her.

"I've been better." She admitted. "But I'm fine none the less."

"Thank god that foul man didn't hurt you." Dominick said while taking Sage into his own arms.

She knew he was speaking of Falcon, but said nothing even though she wanted to kick him for being so ignorant.

"Shall we return home then?" James held out a hand to catch a few drops of rain.

"Yes, lets go in and have something warm to drink." Garret took them back to town where they all got into a carriage and left for the Edwards manor.

Sage sat silently thinking of ways to tell everyone she was leaving with Falcon the very next night. It would be hard and surely her father would tie her down somewhere if she said it to his face, so he would get a letter, a well-written letter. She would ask Tom to accompany her to the beach that night and there she would say her goodbyes to him. Tonight she would convince her brother its what she needs and before leaving for the beach to meet Tom she would stop by and say goodbye to Dominick and Bella. Yes, that's how she would say goodbye.

"Alright, we're home." Garret and the other boys sat still and watched as Sage came back from her thoughts.

"Right." She smiled then stepped out of the carriage and hurried up to the house.

They all filed in and took off their wet coats and boots. Garret had one of the maids make tea as they all went to wait for it in the family parlor. Sage sat on a long couch by the fire and Dominick and James sat at each of her sides. Tom and Garret sat across from her on a two-seater and they all waited for Sage to speak first.

"What?" She asked as they all stared at her.

"You can understand, my dear sister, that when a group of strapping young lads come to a damsels rescue and find that she's already slain the dragon there are going to be a few questions." James put not to shortly.

"I don't really want to talk about it." Sage spoke lightly. The pain of Sam's death was still too fresh.

"Its alright darling, you need not explain now." Garret got up and held out his arms for Sage to embrace him.

Sage got up and hugged him then smiled up at him. "Thank you Father." She gave him a peck then yawned. "If it's alright I'd like to get some rest."

"Of course." Garret gave her another tight squeeze then let her go up to her room accompanied by the maid.

He then turned to his two guests. "Perhaps it would be best if you two came back tomorrow to see her." Dominick and Tom nodded. They stood, shook the Commodore's hand and went on their ways.

"Shall we follow in the damsel's path and go to sleep ourselves?" James asked in a yawn.

"Aye, it is quite late." Garret stretched and signaled for the other two maids still in attendance to put out the candles and he and his son went off to bed.

While the two men slept all-night and late into the after noon, Sage was awake and writing with all her heart. She shed tears as she sealed her goodbye to her father and after great deliberation a second letter was sealed to her brother. She kissed both envelopes before leaving them to rest at the foot of her neatly made bed.

After an hour of carefully selecting her life's possessions, Sage had packed a small case which included a photo of her mother, a small family portrait that had been painted the Christmas before her mother had gone missing, the necklace James had given Sage when she had returned, one of her father's handkerchiefs which had his initials embroidered in one of the corners and the sword her brother had taught her to use.

Sage dressed in her best traveling dress and let her hair loose. She picked up her case and carried it downstairs, making sure to not cause any noise or draw any attention. She wanted to leave the house unnoticed. Unfortunately that almost never happens.

"Gone again, Miss?" It was John and he looked rather relaxed and un-surprised that Sage was carrying a small suitcase and sword.

"John." Sage straightened and dropped her case. "It's not how it looks." She patted her skirts down and tried with all her luck to look inconspicuous.

"Only back for a little while and already on the move again." John put down his rusty old pales and stepped towards Sage. "I'll trust you've done proper and told your father." He looked at her seriously.

"I couldn't tell him in person." Sage hugged her arms around herself and looked sadly into John's eyes. "He would never understand."

"Aye." John dug into his pocket and pulled out an old pocket watch. He opened it and showed Sage a photo inside of a small girl. "It's always hard to see our children grow and leave us. Though we may never understand their choices, we are happy to see them happy." He gave the photo a crooked smile then shut it and put it back in his old ratty pocket. "There will be grief yet at the Edwards Manor, but your father knows you best, and he will smile again knowing this is what makes you happy." John took one of Sage's hands and gave it a pat before picking up his buckets again.

"You'll watch over him, won't you?" Sage asked, knowing full well that John was the most loyal of servants and best of friends to the family.

"With both my eyes and even after I've gone blind with age." John smiled again. "It has been a pleasure serving you young Miss." He gave her a small courteous bow before heading to the back of the house to clean and feed the animals.

Sage looked upon her home once more before turning from it one last time.

Sage made it into town without a single blister on her heals as of yet and she was glad to admit it felt good walking this path however sad it may be. She made it to Tom's little house where he lived with his mother, father and six brothers. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Tom himself, who appeared to be on his way out.

"Sage, I was just coming to see how you were." He said happily taking her into his arms. "Its so glad I am to see you out and about so soon." He looked so young and youthful with that boyish smile and charm.

"Tom, would you come on a walk with me?" Sage asked smoothly. Her nerves were beginning to prick the back of her neck and she didn't know how much longer she could keep it together in front of her best friend.

"Of course." He closed the door behind him and straightened his jacket before offering his arm.

It was only when they started walking did he see the suitcase. "And what's that for?" He asked curiously.

"Tom, I'm leaving." She spat it out before she knew what words were coming from her mouth.

"What?" Tom stopped and turned to face her.

"Please try to understand." Sage began. "I will always love you, you are like a brother to me, you have always been my best friend and I will always hold you dearly in my heart." Sage dropped her suitcase again and took both of Tom's hands.

"And where are you going that you must assure me of your feelings?" Tom asked perplexed.

"I'm not sure." Sage let her lips twitch in anticipation of the world she would soon discover with a man she barely knew but in her heart she felt as though she could not be without. "All you must know is that I will be happy and free and, and…and I shall miss you more than flowers miss the spring." She pulled him into a large hug and would not let go.

"I hope he knows that you are more precious then any treasure he would even dream of seeking, and that if he hurts you, I will hunt him down myself, and kill him." The passion in Tom's eyes was more then Sage could handle and the fact that he knew too well where she was going made her weep with joy.

"You understand then that I must go and who I must go with?" Sage asked even though she knew the answer.

"It was impossible not to see the unhappiness in you after coming back." Tom looked awkward for a moment. "I shall always love you Sage, and in loving you I know that nothing will make you happier then to be with the man you love most." He leaned in and kissed both of her cheeks. "May you always be safe." He kissed her lightly on each knuckle then turned to return to his house.

Sage stood breathlessly for a moment before picking up her case then proceeding up town towards the Governor's house.

Only two last goodbyes then she would begin her knew and exciting life.

The doors of the Governor's mansion never seemed so big as they did now. Sage felt like a small mouse as she knocked the large iron knocker.

A stout maid opened the door and upon recognizing Sage hurriedly ushered her in and had her sitting in the family sitting room with a hot cup of tea in her hands.

"A marvelous surprise at best to describe this visit." Bella floated into the room with open arms and a beautiful smile on her face.

Sage put the tea down and flew into Bella's open arms.

"Dear child, when I had heard about last night I wanted to come and see you first hand, but of course the men think all women are fragile and your father thought it best you get some rest." Bella sat with Sage in a love seat and tucked a lock of Sage's hair behind her ear.

"Oh Bella." Sage huffed as she tried to breathe past the desire to weep again.

"What is it Sage?" Bella took Sage's face into her hands and look into her two shinning eyes.

"I must leave." She whispered.

"Are you feeling ill? I'll have the carriage brought around." Bella was about to stand when Sage held her down by one of her wrists.

"No, I must leave, Port Majesty." Sage finished with a small sniff.

"Where ever are you leaving to?" Bella asked as she sat closer to the girl she had known so closely and dearly as she would a daughter.

"I don't know yet." Sage sighed as she leaned on Bella's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I see." Bella smoothed her hands over Sage's hair as she smiled knowingly. "Love is a strange thing isn't it?" Bella began. "We would sail across oceans and face certain death for love, or merely for a glimpse of it." She smiled again as Sage sat up and looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"I'm such a fool." Sage admitted.

"And why would that be?" Bella tucked more hair behind Sage's ears.

"I thought no one would understand." She looked down sheepishly.

Bella put a crooked finger under Sage's chin to bring her face up again and looked at her lovingly. "My dear, no matter who you are, or where you are from everyone has been touched by love and everyone knows that you cannot turn away from it. The only think for you to do is take it by the hand and hold it close to your heart." Bella kissed Sage on the cheek then stood with her for a long hug.

"I must truly be lucky to have you as a friend." Sage looked upon her mother's friend with aw and admiration.

"Come, you wont leave before first having tea with me in the garden, one last time." Bella took Sage by the hand and led her to the back terrace where they had tea and ate sweet cakes until the sun went down.

"I really must be going." Sage insisted.

"Of course." Bella stood and walked with Sage to the doors. She handed Sage her traveling case and hugged her one last time before letting her go.

Once she closed the door Bella brushed away a lingering tear that had not been shed while Sage had been around. She was proud of the girl and loved her with all her heart. She knew her own son would be crushed, but even he would understand and accept, after a great while of brooding.

It was late and the stars and the moon were the only light on Sage's path through the familiar path to the small beach where so much had happened in so little a time.

Finally she came upon the small beach and it was ghostly with the light of the moon sparkling on the water and white sands. She made her way down the small path to the sands below and set her case down as she sat in wait for her love to take her away. She was feeling a little uneasy about leaving without saying goodbye to Dominick, but he had been out all day training new and young hopeful navel soldiers just off the coast of town. It was unfortunate, but she couldn't wait for him to maybe return before midnight.

She had been sitting on the sand with her boots removed so that she could bury her toes in the cool grains when there was a great exhale of breath from just behind her.

A crumbled scream managed to escape her as she was pulled against a dark figure.

"Are you mad?" Dominick's voice rang loud and clear.

"How did you find me?" Sage asked happily seeing a chance to say goodbye to him properly.

"When my mother told me about your lunacies I knew right away where you would be. Now answer my question, have you gone completely mad?" Dominick shook her as she smiled brightly.

"Madly insane, no, madly in love? Yes." Sage put her hands over the large strong ones that were holding her shoulders. "Dominick I'm not asking you to understand, I've asked too many to do that already and I fear my luck may be thinning, so I'm just going to ask you not to be mad with me in our last minutes with each other." Sage stepped away from him and held out a hand for him to take.

His angry frown never wavered but he let out enough steam to cool off and take her hand as she led him on a walk down the beach's shoreline.

"You can't leave, Sage." Dominick began once they had made it halfway down the beach.

"Dominick, I can't love you as you deserve, I can't be a perfect wife that you need, I can't be what you need me to be." Sage argued.

"What you are is all I need." Dominick insisted.

"If I were to stay sure I would be here, but my heart would be miles away on a ship with a man I know you would never understand." Sage said.

"That pirate." Dominick looked away for a few minutes. "My mother told me to try and understand, but bloody hell you girls are all so confusing!" He threw his hands up and stormed three steps away from her.

Remembering what Bella had so wisely told her, Sage tried to explain in very few words. "He may be a pirate, but like everyone else in the world he is capable of love, I know." Sage looked out at the black water and saw a small row boat coming towards shore, the Widow was sitting on the calm waters just beyond. "I hope you find it in your heart to be happy for me." Sage kissed him once on then turned and went to help Moose put her suitcase and sword in the small rowboat.

"Sage wait!" Dominick yelled before jogging up to her.

He pulled her into a crushing kiss before letting her go. "Something to remember me by." He half smirked. "After all, I will always have your first kiss."

Sage smiled warmly after being helped into the boat. Moose pushed it off into the water and began to paddle out to the beautiful ship, which was to be Sage's new home.

They pulled up next to the Widow and Sage climbed up to the top deck where familiar faces met her with large grins and hearty hugs. But there was one face she didn't see right away.

"He's up there." Dot looked up to the helm.

Sage smiled thanks then climbed up to the back of the ship and off to the side looking out at the sea was Falcon.

Before she had a chance to even say hello Falcon spoke.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked without even looking at her.

Sage merely walked up to stand beside him and took his hand. She pulled it to her lips and kissed it before placing it over her heart.

"What are you doing?" He asked whispering.

"A wise woman told me to hold love closely to my heart and never let it go once I had it." She answered with clear eyes.

Falcon smiled down at her before capturing her lips in a kiss that sent her mind spinning. "Welcome home." He said before sending her reeling again.

_Dear Father,_

_When you read this I shall already be gone, and I beg of you not to search for me. Let your mind and heart rest knowing that I have made this decision with your help and guidance. Without you as my mentor, my teacher, my father, I would never know what true love is and can be. I would not have found my way or myself for that mater. I will always miss you and James. You are my family and I shall never forget that. Mother would be proud of you. She could not have married a better man. You have raised two respectable children and I am sure James will do great things because of you. As for me, my path is still being laid out before me, but I am sure it will lead somewhere extraordinary. I love you, Father and always will._

_ Your Daughter Sage_

_P.S. Make sure that James takes heed of what I said about Sally Abbot in his letter. She is completely wrong for him and he will never be happy marrying her. I love you both so much. Goodbye._

* * *

.GD. 


	25. Chapter 25

Dear Readers..

Holy hell has it been forever or what? So a lot has happened..I've had a baby and graduated high school and I've completely neglected my hobbies..such as righting.

I've decided to attempt a sequel to this story. If anyone is still watching for updates from me…haha here they come!

I'll be updating soon-ish. Beware and be prepared.


End file.
